In My Arms
by xXMayuXx
Summary: Cynyr is an adopted child of the Fayth with special gifts. After ten years of living in Spira she becomes Yuna's guardian and slowly falls in love with a certain Legendary Guardian named Auron...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing! Except for my characters, my sciences that I add, and the creatures I put in it. The rest goes to Square Enix

My first story. It's going to sound rather original for the first few chapters that I post up, but as the story moves along you'll notice it's a science fiction/romance/adventure/friendship I've got a good feeling about this story so I really think you all will enjoy it.

I've proofread this thing four times! Gah! But, if you see any other mistakes that I've missed, let me know. And critique me as much as you like. :)

**First Impressions**

_Clang, clang, clang, smash! _I gasped with surprise and pain asI fell hard against a stone wall that surrounded the corner street that was momentarily deserted. A large katana was held at my throat while the man, inches away from my face, glared down at me with one russet eye.

I clenched my teeth, breathing heavily from the hard fight I had just had with him along with two of his "side kicks" who had run off long ago. _Should have killed this guy when I had the chance! _I thought as I glared right back up at the notorious man.

My sword had been knocked right out of my hands when I had been shoved so harshly on the ground, and it had clattered, loudly several yards away from me.

"Give me one good reason why I _shouldn't _kill you!" The man exclaimed in anger, a dark liquid caressing his temple and brow as it ran from the wound I had inflicted on him with the hilt of my sword.

I had planned on killing him, but I thought that knocking him out would make it easier. Unfortunately, the other two who were with him had attacked me before I could get around to it.

The dark man pressed his sword against my neck, causing my skin to break and I felt the warm trickle of blood and the sting of the sharp blade as it cut through my nerves and veins. gritting my teeth, I was determined to stand my ground, or in my case, sit.

"Humph! You seem eager to die." He growled.

I clenched my fists next to me, moving one of them slowly down as I moved my face about two centimeters closer to his face, trying to keep his attention on me.

"I would say the same to you. Bringing all these fiends into Luca- what could you possibly gain from that?"

The man's eye flickered from anger to confusion, but only for a moment. I continued to slide my hand down towards my right leg.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I do know that you've caused me a lot of trouble!"

He pressed a little harder against his sword as he said this. I winced in pain, then felt my fingers brush against the leather that was tied around my leg, a leather pocket stitched to the outside of it.

"Don't play dumb with me." I hissed. "Word was given that you caused this. I'm simply putting an end to your miserable life." I said smugly, my fingers slowly grasping the cool metal hilt of the dagger.

"By who?" He asked with a skeptical look. I smirked.

"By Maester Seymour himself!"

With these words, in one swift motion, I withdrew the dagger from its belt and, with all my strength, I brought it down towards his neck. My dagger was sure to cut through and sink deep into his flesh. I had just sharpened it this morning.

All at once my forearm was gripped tightly by his other hand that I hadn't realized was free and my eyes widened in surprise.

I cried out in pain as he gripped my arm tighter, causing me to lose my grip on the dagger, which, also clattered to the stone ground. The man, still glaring, got closer to my face, his scent reminding me of worn leather and silk.

"Wrong move." He growled low in his throat, pressing down harder against his sword.

"Sir Auron!" A woman's voice shouted from behind us, causing both the man, addressed as Auron, and I to pause and turn. Auron only gave a small glance, making sure to keep an eye on me.

The woman stood with her arms crossed over her giant bosoms that were barely covered by an off the shoulder, long black dress that reached the floor. What was more bizarre were the many black belts of different sizes and looks that were attached to the front of the dress.

_Who's she? His girlfriend? _

Her hair was as black as the night, tied tightly back in a bun with long braids that fell from it behind her. Her facial expression was just as dark. Dark, like the one Auron had on his face. Except, her lips were full and painted purple, matching her eyes that glared in his direction.

"What are you doing to that poor girl?" Auron turned back to me, keeping his one eyed glare as he answered.

"This woman tried to kill me."

Suddenly, I heard several footsteps approaching fast from behind the woman, and when I looked up there stood the two men I had seen before, a large, blue Ronso, and a young woman garbed in a summoner's outfit.

_Summoner? _My eyes widened as it suddenly dawned on me. _Whoops. _

"Yeah! And she tried to kill me and Wakka, too!" The blonde boy pointed at me accusing, a wave of fear passing over his face as I glared up at him.

_How was I suppose to know you were all guardians? _

The tall red head, referred to as Wakka, crossed his arms over his muscular chest and nodded, glaring at me as well.

"That's right." He agreed and Auron smirked from above me.

"Three against one. You're dead."I glared up at him, a contrast of what I felt.

_If I had known this was all a fluke I wouldn't have tried to kill him! _

"How was I to know you were a summoner party?" I tried to explain, but Auron just snorted.

"Let her explain." The dark woman suggested suddenly, "then we can decide whether or not to kill her."

At first, Auron didn't move. He sat there glaring down at me with his blade still stuck in my skin, which, was _still_ bleeding.

"You heard the woman."

"Don't push your luck." Auron retorted as he finally pulled his blade away. He stood up and hefted the huge sword up on his shoulder, effortlessly, while I quickly got up with my dagger back in its sheath.

"Explanation, please." The blonde asked with crossed arms. I only gave him a glance before finally speaking.

"I was ordered by Lord Seymour to kill this man," I waved in Auron's direction, refusing to look at him, "because he had apparently been the cause of the sudden fiend attack." Many eyebrows raised at my explanation and I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Seymour told you this?" Wakka asked stupefied.

"I'm- I _was _his body guard for a time, and when the fiends showed up he told me he knew who it was and ordered me to dispose of him." I paused, letting this sink in.

"I was only following orders. But now that I know you aren't even remotely a threat to anyone…I apologize."

I bowed slightly and then looked up when I heard the dark woman speak.

"You are forgiven."

"Alls well that ends well." Wakka said as he shook his head and shrugged.

The young summoner suddenly moved away and began to walk past Auron and me. I didn't really pay any attention to her.

"Sorry I caused you so much trouble." I took a step back. "So, I'll leave now."

I turned, but when I did I stopped. There, stood the young summoner with my sword laying across her hands and looking up at me like she wanted to say something. I blinked in surprise and took a small step back. "Uh-"

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Cynyr."

The young woman smiled. "Lady Cynyr," I opened my mouth to object to this, but she continued to speak, "will you be my guardian?" She held out my sword to me as if it were the request itself. All her guardians stood in as much amazement as I.

"Yuna-" The blonde boy began from behind me, but Yuna didn't even acknowledge him. She just continued to stare up at me, waiting for my answer.

_So, what? If I don't comply will she simply take my sword and run me through?_

She didn't look like that sort of person, but she could easily have Auron do it. He would definitely be glad to.

"I- why would you want me to be your guardian?" I asked curiously.

Yuna lowered her hands a little as her expression changed a little.

"You seem very loyal to whomever is your master, and you seem like you would fight very well. I need someone like you." She explained finally. I raised a brow with surprise, feeling rather flattered. Then, I frowned.

"I'm sure your offer is promising…but I don't think I'm welcome by the others." I pointed out, my words more pointed at Auron more than the others. Auron seemed to catch this immediately.

"What's more important is to answer Yuna. Do you want to be her guardian or not?" He asked gruffly.

I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from reeling on him with my own rude remarks.

"Yuna…" I began slowly.

_Aw, what the heck! It's not like I have much of a life anyway at the moment. Perhaps this could be my turning point. _Yuna seemed to be looking up at me hopefully.

"I accept your offer. I promise to be the guardian you seek. I'll protect you even if it means that it'll cost my life." I vowed. Yuna beamed and handed me my sword as if it were a prize I had won.

_I'm really starting to wonder if she would have given it back to me if I hadn't accepted._

I took it by the hilt and sheathed it behind me at my back and gave her a small smile.

"Then, it's settled." Auron said from the sidelines.

I turned to face the rest of the guardians. They seemed to approve of Yuna's and my decision from the looks on their faces. Although, I could clearly see the reluctance on both the blonde's and Wakka's face.

"I've only caught a few of your names…"

"I'm Lulu…and this is Wakka-"

"Hey, I can introduce myself!" Lulu looked away from him, clearly annoyed by his childish behavior.

"I'm Tidus, and that's Kimahri-" Tidus waved up at the large Ronso who crossed his large arms over his muscular chest.

"Kimahri can introduce himself!" He growled mockingly, pointedly at Wakka. The tall red head seemed to glare up at Kimahri, but then he began to laugh a loud and hearty laugh, followed by Tidus's higher pitched laugh and Yuna's giggling. She stood beside me now, her hands clasped together in front of her as she watched her guardians.

"Well, I suppose we should get going." Yuna finally said. The others turned and nodded with agreement and began to walk past me. I turned to follow when I felt someone grab my shoulder. It was Wakka.

"Hey, no hard feelings about earlier, ya?" I nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, same here." Tidus said from the other side of me, and we began to walk through the streets of Luca to a stone staircase.

"Where are you from?" Lulu asked from behind me.

"Well…I," I stammered, "I'm kind of a traveler. I've never really stayed in one place for to long." I tried to explain the best I could.

"Really?" Tidus asked with a raised brow. "Where's your family?" I glanced over at him then looked away as I replied, "dead."

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't- I didn't-" I shook my head.

"It's fine. I never really knew them so it doesn't matter." I shrugged, and for a moment there was silence.

"Oh. Sin?" He asked and I nodded.

_Everyone has lost someone in Spira. Everyone. _I thought sadly.

_Stay strong my child. _I suddenly heard Ida's voice echo from inside my head. One of the Fayth. She was my foster mother who had adopted me so long ago…

We climbed the last of the stone stairs, finding ourselves on the Highroad that would lead us to Mushroom Rock and then to D'jose where there was a temple that Yuna would pray at.

_I guess I won't be retuning to Seymour as "body guard" now. _I mentally laughed to myself. I was glad though. His aura was so haunting and creepy, I didn't think I would have been able to return to him, even if it _was _just collecting my pay.

I had enough of my own gil to last me awhile. _What's he got against Auron? No matter how hard that is to NOT figure out. _I thought grimly as I suddenly remembered the cut on my neck. The blood had dried and I reached up to touch it. I scratched away most of it that wasn't directly on the wound then left it alone to heal on its own. It wouldn't take long for it to heal either.

I glanced up at Auron who was walking ahead of everyone like he had a stick up his butt, which is probably the reason why he was acting so rude and grouchy. _You know…come to think of it. I don't recall him forgiving me for earlier. _

_Be patient, Cynyr. _Ida's voice echoed into my mind. I pursed my lips and fought the urge to sigh.

Suddenly, we began to approach a woman with a long green decorated dress, her ears covered by what looked like decorated, fancy, large cups.

_Is that a fashion statement? _

The woman seemed to be desperately trying to get something across to a Crusader who was standing in front of her, a stern look on his face. As we got closer we caught a few words from the woman and the man. I heard, teachings, obeying, Yevon from the woman and operation, in charge, Maester, and fiends from the Crusader.

Just from these little bits of their conversation, I had a pretty good idea of what they were arguing about. The Crusader abruptly left the woman, sauntering off down the road as the woman stood there in distress. We approached her and she looked up with surprise as she saw Yuna.

"Oh, Lady Yuna!" She exclaimed. The rest of us stood about, listening and watching as Yuna and the woman began to speak with one another. "My name's Shilenda." Yuna nodded with a smile and bowed to her. Shilenda returned the bow.

"What seems to be the matter?" Yuna asked curiously.

"Well, that Crusader just informed me that they plan on taking Sin on with machine and fiends near Mushroom Rock. The operation will surely fail. Sin is an inevitable part of Spira, and trying to use the very thing that was the source of Sin against him will only bring destruction and death!" She exclaimed. Yuna and the rest of us immediately became interested.

"The teachings of Yevon must be upheld!" Shilenda exclaimed, and Wakka instantly agreed with a nod.

"I tried to warn him," she continued, "but they won't listen to me. I'm just a stupid acolyte." Yuna immediately disagreed with this.

"No, of course you're not! Don't put yourself down so harshly." Shilenda looked up with a small smile. "Well, thank you Lady Yuna." Then she bowed again before turning to leave.

"I'll be leaving now. Good luck on your Pilgrimage." She called over her shoulder. Yuna bowed as well and then we all turned back to the road. As we walked, I could hear Wakka muttering under his breath; something about machina and Al Bhed.

We had only been walking for five minutes when, on Chocobos, came riding down the road towards us were three warriors. I guessed that they were patrolling the Highroad. Either that or they were Crusaders as well. Yuna stopped as they approached us, two women and a young man.

"Hello, I am Lucille. Captain of the D'jose Chocobo Knights." The first woman greeted.

"And I'm Elma. We've been charged to guard the highroad."

"There have been reports of a large fiend appearing in the area for a taste for Chocobos. Do take care summoner if you are to rent any Chocobos" Lucille warned. Yuna bowed graciously.

"We will be careful, thank you." Lucille smiled.

"Good. Then we shall get back to our rounds. Farewell."

"A large fiend, eh?" Tidus said mostly to himself as he crossed his arms.

"Lets go get him!" He punched the air as he said this

"Why?" Auron asked.

"It's the right thing to do."

"It's the right thing to do?" Auron repeated with amusement, then began to chuckle.

"What'd I say now?"

"Jecht said that a lot too."

Tidus rolled his eyes, obviously not interested in this bit of information. I figured that this man, Jecht, was once Tidus's father.

Not long after traveling farther down the road we were greeted by three large, snarling fiends, wanting more than anything to kill us for satisfaction.

_I wonder what would happen if they killed everyone in Spira? _

Yuna immediately stepped up and began to summon one of her aeons while the rest of us quickly stepped back at a safe distance. The air around us seemed to shatter and blast loudly as Velfore, her first aeon burst through the clouds in a blinding light to land gracefully by her side. The beautiful creature folded its wings back as he crouched and then fired its attack at the fiends that stood before it.

In seconds, one fiend died and the other two were fatally wounded. Yuna smiled up at her aeon and nodded her thanks and in a flash the aeon was gone. Auron, Lulu, and Tidus immediately drew up as Yuna backed out, beginning to attack the nearly dead fiends.

With a spell from Lulu, a hit from Tidus and Auron the fiends dispersed into millions of singing Pyerflies that floated their way up to the heavens. At the sight of them, I couldn't help but feel homesick. Memories of my former life as a child of the Fayth came crashing down on me.

I quickly shook them from my head, mentally, and began walking again with the others.

As we passed by several old statues and remains of old buildings we came across yet another woman who wanted to talk to us.

_Geez! Lets just talk to the whole world while were at it! _

"Ah, a summoner party." Her voice was cool and soft a she spoke, causing chills to run across my arms. There was just something about her voice and the way she looked at Yuna that I didn't like. Yuna bowed to the woman who continued to just stand there.

"My name is Belgaminge."

"I am Yuna." Belgaminge smiled with recognition.

"Ah, the high summoner's daughter. I've heard much about you. But you are still fresh on the road…are you not?"

"Yes, I am."

"Hmm…I may have a few things to teach you. Let us see who's aeons are stronger. A one on one match. Not to the death, of course." She explained.

"I'll do my best."

"Good."

And so the match began. Belgaminge summoned Ifrit, a giant beast with fiery red fur and a muscular body, his claws as long as my summoned her aeon next, Valfore, who swooped down and landed gracefully next to her.

Yuna went first, firing at Ifrit but it was immune to its attack. Ifrit attacked next and wounded Valefore, but when Valfore attacked with something that looked like twelve explosions all going off at once, it defeated Ifrit immediately.

"Well, you show promise. But with more practice, you may be able to defeat Sin." Belgaminge said with a smile as her aeon disappeared. Yuna smiled and after a few more words we were back on the road for several hours.

As the sun sank lower in the sky we finally approached an Al Bhed Travel Agency. Auron stopped.

"We rest here." He began to walk towards the place.

"But this is an Al Bhed shop, ya."

I glanced over at Wakka warily as he stood with his arms crossed. Auron stopped and then turned to face Wakka.

"Is that a problem?"

"They don't believe in Yevon. And in Luca they-" Wakka stopped for a moment, "They kidnapped Yuna!"

"Where were her guardians?"

Wakka immediately slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. Lulu shook her head, a hand at her temple.

"Sir Auron is just concerned about your health." Yuna said from behind Wakka.

_Psh! _

"I'm not tired one bit!" Wakka exclaimed with his hands on his hips.

"Well," Auron turned away from Wakka, "I am." Reluctantly, the rest of us followed.

Yay! The first chapter! Please review what you think. Correct me where I'm wrong and what should be fixed ect. ect. And thank you for reading! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Next chapter yall! Right, so this is probably more interesting than the first chapter. Well...I think so anyway.

Hope you'll like this one just as much, if not more, as the first chapter. (I'm also still learning how to upload chapter...it's kind of confusing at times. So be patient with me.) :)

**Disclaimer: **All credit goes to Square Enix except my characters and stuff I've added.

**Be Expected by the Unexpected and the Nosy**

"That'll be two hundred gil." The cashier said with a smile as she handed me the bag of dried meat and two bottles of potions. I began counting out the coins and then handed her the change; they clinked noisily into her palm and I looked back inside my purse.

_I've got to go back to pinching pennies. _

I took my things and thanked her before placing the items in their rightful places inside a bag I kept tied around my waist.

Looking around the room I noticed that Lulu and Wakka were headed towards their rooms, and Kimahri stood like a statue in the corner with his arms crossed. Yuna, Tidus, and Auron were absent and I began to wonder if they were outside.

I mentally shrugged to myself and headed out the door for some fresh air.

_There's no way I can fit in with this group of people. _I thought to myself as I stood against the outside wall of the Inn.

_I've been here for seven years and nothing has changed for me…or Spira. _

I ran a lazy hand through my long brown hair then pulled out a hair tie, pulling it around my wrist, and began to braid all of my hair down my back. When I was finished I tossed the braid behind me and felt the bottom of it hit my backside.

I should've gotten it cut, but I never had the time to do so.

_Where will I go this time? _

Ida's voice immediately replied. _All in good time, my dear. Remember that you are human. _I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest before pushing myself off the wall of the Inn, and began walking around to the other side.

_That's kind of hard to believe._

As I approached the other side my steps faltered a little from the sight of Auron who stood against a pillar, his back to me.

_Thank goodness._ _Ah, spoke to soon. _

He heard my footsteps and immediately turned his head to look at me from over his shoulder. For some reason, when our eyes met I had to look away, looking at anything else but his glaring eye. I didn't know if he _was _glaring at me, but he wasn't exactly happy to see me either. To tell truth, I wasn't happy to see him either.

What probably surprised the both of us was when I walked right up and stood next to him. Well, a good distance away from him, but I was standing beside him.

He continued to look at me as I stared out at the two figures of Tidus and Yuna who sat side by side on a hill that over looked the ocean, the sun setting slowly above it. After a while, I finally spoke, but did not turn.

"What?"

I could see Auron from the corner of my eye and he was still looking at me. It was as if he were trying to bore holes into my skull while thinking, "die, die, die!" Or he was trying to see right through to my soul, trying to read my mind or something.

"Do you really plan on putting your life at risk for Yuna?" He asked finally. My eye flickered in his direction for just a moment.

"Didn't you hear me before?"

"Words mean nothing unless you prove them worthy." He remarked as he looked away from me, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Then you haven't accepted my apology from earlier?" I stated more than asked as I crossed my arms over my chest, still looking ahead.

"Correct."

My brows furrowed slightly.

"How very gracious of you."

Auron glanced in my direction and I looked right back at him, waiting for his remark. "You do well to protect Yuna. If not, you will answer to me." The corners of my lips twitched.

"Is that a threat?"

"No. A warning."

Then he began walking towards the hill, I, half expecting him to turn around and give me that "I'm watching you" signal with two fingers pointing at his eyes and then at me.

_That was so a threat. _

I watched him leave and then turned on my heel, sauntering back inside the Inn. Upon reaching my room, the key in my hand, I yawned then paused as I heard a noise from somewhere down the hall. Distracted, I turned and slowly began to make my way down the hall and saw a shadow appear on the wall.

As I inched closer the shadow suddenly disappeared. I blinked then rushed towards the end of the hall to find…nothing.

I stood there in confusion, looking around and listening for any other sounds. Just as I began to think it was my imagination I heard a thumping sound from behind me. I spun around and quickly began to walk down the hall towards my room.

I got to my door when I realized it was slightly open. Just a crack, but it was noticeable to me.

_I have the key…so who could possibly be in my room? _

From where I stood I could see that the lights were out and from within I could hear more noises. Quiet and subtle. I clenched my teeth and reached behind me to grip the hilt of my sword. Muscles tensed, I moved in front of the door and with a loud bang I kicked the door open and withdrew my sword as I entered the dark room.

"Why hello to you to…Cynyr." A deep and dangerous voice hissed from in front of me.

"Who are you?" _And how do you know my name? _

I backed up to the wall, trying to find the light switch. Unfortunately, whoever was inside my room snarled and began to attack me with large and sharp claws that scratched at my face and arms. I swung my sword with all my might at the place where I thought the head might be. When my sword struck, it rang as if it had met rock.

_A fiend? _Nonetheless, the creature cried out in pain and I heard several heavy footsteps running from outside the hallway and then voices.

The creature laughed in its throat as it grabbed my blade and effortlessly began to lift me off the ground. I gasped, still holding onto the hilt of my sword as I saw glowing red eyes appear in front of me. Then it grinned. Rows of sharp, white, glistening teeth that shone from an unknown light and the smile grew ever longer and wider.

"It seems that the cat has captured the mouse."

As it said this, its mouth did not move an inch. It was as if it spoke with its mind and only I could understand.

Suddenly, It began to laugh deep in its throat. "Or should I say…bird." He laughed again and raised a paw that had dagger like claws along its fingers, aiming for my face.

"Cynyr!" I heard someone shout from behind me, and light instantly lit up the room, causing the creature to scream. I quickly shut my eyes from the sight of the creature and felt myself drop to the floor as it finally let go of my sword. I heard magic being cast and swords being drawn, but the beast was already disappearing. I peered up warily and saw its form shrink and then disperse into nothing.

No Pyerflies, just smoke. The room filled with an indescribable odor and all of us began to cough. I slowly began to rise from the floor, my sword lying next to me, when someone knelt beside me and laid a hand on my shoulder.

"You okay?" Wakka asked.

"What…was that?" I heard Tidus ask from behind him.

"It looked like a giant cat. Only…" Lulu trailed off and I coughed a few more times.

"I think I'm okay-"

"Cynyr! Your arms!" Yuna cried out and ran to me as I sat down and looked at myself slowly. Each of my arms had three deep gashes, the blood covering my forearms. My eyes widened at the sight, yet I couldn't feel much of the pain.

"I'd advice all of you to be quiet. We aren't the only guests here." Auron pointed out as he looked over his shoulder into the hallway.

"I'm fine Yuna." I said hoarsely. Her brows knitted together as she looked me in the eyes.

"No, you're not."

Before I could say anymore she took my hands in hers and closed her eyes, whispering something under her breath. I bit my lip as I watched the gashes slowly heal to near closure, the blood remaining, and I felt the overwhelming itch that always followed. Yuna opened her eyes and stopped whispering, looking down at my wounds.

"It's fine Yuna. They won't close all the way…" I trailed off.

"I'll help you clean the blood off." She offered, but I quickly placed a hand on her shoulder before she could get up.

"No, Yuna…really. I'll do it. You don't have to." Then I stood before she could protest. Luckily, none of my blood had gotten on the carpet or I would have to deal with the Inn keeper, Rin. I bit my lip from the mere thought of him.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Lulu asked as I began to pass her. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she looked at me with a bit of concern in her eyes.

"Yeah."

I turned to leave the room when I found Auron staring down at me over his silver rimmed glasses, a different look in his eye. We seemed to stare for several minutes when we had really just looked for a second. Then, I turned away with a smirk on my face, standing up a little taller as I walked out into the hall, proud of the cuts on my arms now.

"Where can I wash off?" I asked the man at the desk in the lobby. His back was to me and when he turned to the sound of my voice, he gasped from the sight of both me and my arms. My heart skipped at the sight of him.

"Rin." I said softly. He patted the pockets of his jacket and took in a small breath before releasing it, smiling a small yet uncertain smile.

"Ah, Cynyr…my- I um…yes. Follow me." I nodded, not smiling back at him as he rounded the table and began to walk me down the hall to another room.

"I heard some ruckus before coming in and-"

"Don't worry about it. Everything's under control, and I'll be fine." I remarked a little harshly, and walked past him into the wash room where I stood in the doorway looking at him.

"Right." He nodded with a sigh, and for just a second it seemed as though we were able to read each other's mind as I thought, _bastard _and he thought, _bitch. _

Growing up together as teenagers wasn't the greatest plan my mother, Ida, had. Suddenly, I felt exposed and turned my head away and he looked down at the floor in the same bit of shame.

"Listen…Cynyr." I glanced up at him.

"Lets try to forget what happened…okay."

I laughed sarcastically. "I don't think I can. Not after what you did to Hina." Rin nodded sadly before getting a different look in his eyes.

"I see you still have the beads." He pointed at my hair, behind my ear where I kept strands of braided hair that were strung with blue and brown beads. I just nodded.

"Cynyr…I'd like to-"

"Lets not go there. You've done enough. I don't think you can even _try _to explain what happened."

Rin sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time and folded his hands in front of him as he cocked his head to one side, looking up at me like he always used to do when we were younger. I saw it coming immediately and held up a hand as I tried to turn away from him.

"No, don't even-"

"Cynyr. Lets try to act a little more mature."

That was it.

I flashed him a deadly look and he seemed to take a small step back. I turned away and flipped the switch on the wall that lit up the room immediately. There was a large sink in front of me with soaps and towels against the wall behind it where a large mirror hung.

"Let me help you." I turned to him in surprise.

"What?"

He shrugged as he looked at my bleeding arms.

"It's the least I can do." I was about to say something back, but when I saw the look on his face I sighed heavily.

"Fine."

I held my hands up in fake surrender and walked a little more into the room to let him in as well. He entered and began to turn the water facet on. He plugged the sink as hot water filled the basin, steam rising while he reached up on the wall where a cabinet was. Opening it, he removed several small bottles and bandages.

"Rin-"

"I want to help." He quickly said before I could finish. I sighed as I watched him unscrew the cap off one of the bottles and took a wash cloth from the pile against the wall. I jumped up on the counter as he began to pour some of the liquid out of the bottle and into the sink. I shut the water off and he dipped the cloth into the mixture.

I took off my gloves and shoulder guards, lying them beside me and then held one of my arms out to him.

"This may sting." He warned as he began to wipe at my cuts and around them, cleaning the blood off. I winced inwardly, but made no sound as he continued to clean my wounds.

"So, you're not going to tell me what happened?" He asked after a while. I remained silent and he glanced up at me. He finished cleaning one arm and started on the next, silently.

"When Hina died…" I began slowly, "did you even mourn for her?" I stared down at my arms, not wanting to look up at Rin.

"She was as much of a best friend to me as she was to you, Cynyr."

"Then why did you kill her?" I whispered with a bit of anger in my voice. Rin rewet the cloth in the hot water mixture and began cleaning my arms off again as he spoke.

"I didn't _try_ to kill her, Cynyr. I've tried to tell you this before-"

"You can't tell me that you didn't. Not after what you said to me that day." I snapped. Rin sighed.

"If you'll let me explain…"

I grew silent. He finished cleaning my wounds and refilled the sink with hot water before grabbing a different bottle of solution. This one had a blue hue to it.

"I was eighteen…you and Hina were sixteen and I was into engineering like her father."

"I know."

Rin ignored my statement and continued as he wet the cloth in the new solution he had made.

"You and her were always watching us work on the different kinds of machina that was brought in at Home." He slowly rubbed the soaked cloth against my marred skin, the potion soothing the pain.

"As you know, I was…in love with Hina." I nodded sadly.

"And when she brought Chiriko with her…I became jealous."

He laughed a little to himself from the memory, but I didn't even smile. He grew silent a few seconds more and I waited for him to continue as he soaked the cloth once more to replace on my arms.

"He knew I was jealous…so he deliberately asked to come along with Hina and you, just so he could rub it in that he was the older brother and he got what he wanted, when he wanted. First." Rin's voice sounded harsh as he said these last words and I glanced up at him.

_He's angry…just like he was that day… _

Suddenly Rin laughed. "You never did like me. You always found me a bother to you." I half smiled at this, but then it faded as he began again.

"Everyday, it never failed. He'd be there with her…flirting with her in front of me- one day I just couldn't take it."

"That's when you and I were talking." I whispered.

"What I said to you was out of anger and hurt." Then he paused.

"I didn't mean for any of it to happen the way it did." He said softly as he rinsed the cloth out and drained the basin. Then he grabbed a towel and began to dry my arms off gently.

"I wanted to show my brother that I was just as good as he was-"

"I'll show you. I'll prove that I can be just like my brother. And I'll show him pain. Pain that I had to go through if not worse." I quoted for him, and the two of us became quiet. He slowed with his work, then stopped.

"I only meant to hurt his pride…never did I mean-" He began to dry his hands off and then went for the bandages.

"So, on that day when Hina brought him over again I had the machina in place. It was specifically targeted at him when he walked through the door, but…Hina walked in first." He paused again.

"I didn't expect the machina to malfunction."

His voice grew quiet towards the end and he picked up one of my arms, carefully, to begin wrapping them. I watched as he did this then looked up at him.

"Your hatred and anger drove you over the edge." I said softly but sternly.

"You killed your friend and only caused more anger and hatred between you and your brother. I also…hated you that day." When Rin remained quiet I reached up with my other hand and grabbed his wrist, causing him to stop.

Rin didn't cry. I never saw him cry. Not even when Hina died. He had been to busy shouting and yelling at his stupid brother. Ever since then, he never cried. Not even now. To me, he was the strongest man I had ever known.

_Or perhaps the most selfish._

"Did you even mourn for her?" I asked quietly, repeating what I had asked earlier. Rin's bright green eyes looked deep into my cerulean ones for several long seconds before he finally answered.

"Yes."

I searched his face for any lies behind his words but found none. He meant it. He really had cared about Hina.

"And…I'm sorry, Cynyr." He whispered. "I'm sorry I was so angry, I'm sorry I was jealous…and most of all, I'm sorry I killed Hina. Your best friend."

"She happened to be the only real family I had ever had." I reminded him. He looked away from me and nodded.

"I know. But…" He looked back up at me and I met his eyes once more.

"Do you forgive me?" I sighed softly to myself, looking away momentarily.

"Rin…of course I do." I finally replied. He smiled a small smile and then his eyes shifted a little from mine.

_What's he looking at? _

He suddenly reached up and pulled a strand of my hair back behind my ear. My heart skipped a beat. _Rin… _

He looked back into my eyes and I could feel my face slowly heat up. I wanted to turn away, but for some reason my head wouldn't obey me.

Rin was slowly inching his face closer to mine and I felt a chill run through my spin, the palms of my hands suddenly becoming sweaty.

_Is he going to kiss me? _

I moved my head ever so slightly away as he continued to move closer to my face. Our noses were almost touching and his lips were a breath away. I froze and held my breath as he tilted his head a little to one side and then-

"Are you two done fooling around?"

Both Rin and I jumped, but he seemed to jump a foot higher as he spun around and ran a nervous hand through his long blonde hair and faced none other than Auron. He still had that stick up his butt and that glare on his face as he looked at the both of us. Rin, flustered, began to search for an explanation.

"Wh- I was just helping her…"

"I can see that." Auron remarked, then he turned his glare on me. _Darn. For a minute there I thought I was playing the part as "innocent, didn't know any better." _I bit my lip. _That's quiet impossible. You're twenty-three not sixteen anymore. _I scolded myself.

"Shouldn't you be in bed now?"

Both Rin and I raised out brows at this statement and I immediately began to laugh. Jumping off the counter of the sink I grabbed my things and looked Auron right in the eye.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I had a father!"

Rin covered his mouth with a hand but a chuckle escaped his lips. Auron glowered at the two of us but looked like he wanted to take back what he had said and rephrase it. I decided to take advantage of this opportunity.

"Is daddy angry for seeing his only daughter with a boy?"

My words were dripping with sarcasm as well as my smile as I brushed past Rin and then passed Auron. I sauntered down the hall, a little angry with Auron _and_ Rin, and headed for my room. Auron's heavy footsteps were close behind.

"Cynyr."

I considered ignoring him, but then stopped and decided to hear what he wanted to say next.

"You were doing so well at playing guardian up until now. I didn't realize you were so _acquainted _with Rin."

I pursed my lips, catching his own sarcasm immediately. I spun around on my heel and decided to through the curve ball right back at him. I smiled- no I smirked as I spoke.

"I didn't know you were so acquainted with sticking your nose into other people's business."

"You were kissing someone in the middle of the night."

"I wasn't the one trying to kiss anyone." I snapped angrily.

"You know what _your _problem is, Auron?" I didn't wait for him to answer. "You jump to conclusions constantly." Auron remained silent.

"Good night, _sir_." I retorted and then sauntered on down to my room where I covered my face in my pillow and screamed, "MEN!"

YES! This one was my favorite chap.

Review please!


	3. Chapter 3

A bit of humor in the beginning of this chapter. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: Square Enix owns all except my characters and all that I add to it.

* * *

><p><strong>An Unraveling Ball of Yarn<strong>

"Tidus!" Lulu shouted as she pulled out and Tidus took her place at the front line, his sword ready. I stood beside him on his right while, unfortunately, Auron stood on my left.

"I'm on it!" Tidus shouted before running up to the giant fiend and slashing at its large and long, scaly arms that rested on the ground beside it.

We were barely awake when Rin came to us with the bad news. The Chocobo Eater was at the corral already attacking the Chocobos. When we got to the corral the fiend immediately found us and tried to attack us next.

Its head was as big as a boulder, elongated and scaly. It's mouth hung open to reveal two tongues that moved in and out of its mouth, reminding me of a snake. But it was so ridiculous looking with its monkey arms and large feet that it was impossible to say it looked like one.

"Take this!" I shouted as I ran up at full speed, the fiend lifting its fist to pound me, but I jumped up and landed on it. Simultaneously, I brought my sword down upon it and the blade surprisingly sunk really deep in its tough scaly skin.

The beast roared with pain and fury, about to throw me off the cliff behind me when I yanked hard upon my sword and flipped backwards in the air to land carefully back in line with the others.

"Humph." I heard Auron say from beside me. I glanced over at him and he ran at the fiend, swinging that huge sword of his at its head. The blade cut the fiend across the face, wounding it badly but he hadn't killed it. Fortunate for us, we had it cornered it on the edge of a cliff that dropped behind it.

"We'll push it back!" Lulu called out as she took her place at the front as well. Everyone else followed. Lulu cast thunder, Wakka threw his World Champion, and Kimahri stabbed it with his spear. The fiend was quickly weakening and after a final blow from Kimahri, the beast stumbled back and fell off the cliff.

We watched as the Pyerflies made their way up into the sky and we put our weapons away. Now the Chocobos were running about the coral chirping and cooing happily.

"Have you any interest in renting some Chocobo's." We turned to the sound of Rin's voice as he walked up with another Al Bhed behind him.

"As a token of our gratitude. The first time is free of charge." He offered.

_Psh. More like trying to suck up after what happened last night. I couldn't help think as I stood with my arms crossed._

"Please, ask the attendant, if you wish to rent." Then, the young woman behind him spoke with enthusiasm.

"Thank you so much for saving the Chocobos." She smiled and Yuna bowed to the Al Bhed. "You're very welcome." Then she and Rin turned and started back towards the Travel Agency.

As Rin had turned, though, I caught his eye and he winked at me with a small smile. I quickly looked away and waited for the others to decide whether or not we should accept his offer.

"So, how about it?" Tidus immediately exclaimed as he turned to face the rest of us. "Riding one of those might be really fun." Yuna smiled with a nod.

"Yes. I think we should take his offer." So, it was decided and Tidus was the first to go up to the attendant.

The large birds around us cooed and chirped small high pitched calls to one another as they ran about the coral excitedly as we walked past them. I couldn't help but watch them.

They were such amazing creatures to me, with bright yellow feathers and short orange beaks and large black eyes that stared at you with interest. I smiled to myself as I watched two Chocobos taking turns to peak at one another while chirping.

While the others stood around in a group with the attendant, I slowly wandered towards the birds with curiosity. One of them caught sight of me and stared at me for several seconds. I looked over at it and couldn't contain a smile.

_Aw, he's so cute! Or her…_

Suddenly, the Chocobo chirped and with a flap of its wings, it ran towards me. I took a step back in surprise and then stopped as it stood before me and leaned down to get a closer look at me.

"Um…hello." I said softly with a smile as I slowly reached up with a hand and it cocked its head to the side, letting me pet its soft yellow feathers.

I started to comb my fingers through them and the Chocobo seemed to like this, for he closed his eyes and cooed softly against my hand. I giggled lightly then jumped as I felt something nudge me in the back. I turned and saw another Chocobo staring right at me.

"Oh…wow." I laughed as I reached up and touched his head as well. Suddenly, three others came running towards me, all cooing and chirping, wanting me to pet all of them. I couldn't help but laugh and smile.

_I've never experienced this before._

I looked back at the others and decided it was time to return to them. They were still talking to the attendant and their backs were to me. Looking over my shoulder at the birds I lifted a hand and gave them a small wave.

"Gotta go…" I trailed off and was about to turn when all of them suddenly lifted a foot and "waved" back at me. I was so stunned by this that I could only stand and stare at them for several seconds. Then, shyly I began to turn away and walk back towards the others.

_Were they trained to do that? Why did they suddenly want to come up to me?_

I was about two yards away from the group when I heard a chirp from behind me. I froze. Then, I slowly turned.

_Are you serious!_

There, standing behind me were all five of the Chocobos that had been surrounding me only seconds ago.

My mouth dropped.

_What did I do to make them follow me!_

I quickly turned away from them and looked back at the others who were still talking but were beginning to turn around. I bit my lip and clasped my hands behind my back as I looked up at them.

"Um, guys…" There were several gasps and I felt one of the Chocobo's head rub against my own.

"They sort of followed me."

Wakka and Tidus immediately busted out laughing and Yuna held a hand over her mouth as she giggled at the sight of the Chocobos warming up to me. Lulu shook her head but was smiling with amusement. Auron actually chuckled and Kimahri…well he just stood there like always with a stoic look on his face.

I felt my face heat up and I tucked some of my hair nervously behind one ear. The attendant stood with awe written on her face, and then she finally found her voice.

"How did you do that?" I shrugged slowly and looked over at one of the Chocobos sheepishly.

"I was just walking over to one of them when all of a sudden they started to surround me…they wanted me to pay attention to them."

I decided to leave out the waving part. It was still a bit unbelievable to me.

"Wow, they really like you, ya!" Wakka said as he crossed his arms over his chest and grinned.

"Hey, I want to pet one." Tidus exclaimed as he began walking up to one of them. The Chocobo closest to him froze and eyed him suspiciously then looked over at me. I looked up at it as Tidus came closer and then shrugged at the bird.

When Tidus was standing in front of it the bird finally turned its attention to him and lowered his head for the young Blitzball player. Tidus beamed.

"Sweet!" He exclaimed, lifting a hand to gently scratch the Chocobo that closed its eyes and began to chirp softly.

_They're so sweet!_

"Hey, me to ya!" Wakka exclaimed before going up to the second one. Yuna slowly made her way towards another and then Lulu walked up to the fourth one. The other stood real close to me, playing with my hair as I stood there laughing and smiling.

"I always knew you were odd," I heard Rin's voice say from afar, "but for as long as I've known you…I'm learning more and more about you." I looked up and met his green eyes and smiled with a shrug.

"So am I."

He laughed as he walked up and began petting one of the Chocobo's, the one on my left.

"Wait. You guys know each other?" Tidus asked in surprise, looking at both Rin and I now.

"You Al Bhed?" Wakka asked me with a wary look.

"I'm not Al Bhed…but I used to live with them when I was younger. I knew Rin when we were teens." I explained.

"Cool." Tidus said from beside me.

"So then…can you speak Al Bhed?"

"Hmm…Rao, drec ec dudymmo nyhtus lnyb E's kuehk du cyo du oui palyica E tuh'd ghuf fryd du cyo." Rin snorted with amusement and Tidus's eyes grew wide and I shrugged.

"What did you say?" Tidus asked curiously.

"That means hi."

Tidus immediately made a face and I started to laugh.

"Just kidding. I just said some random words..."

"Oh..." Tidus shook his head and started petting the Chocobo again. As I stroked the feathers of the one beside me I suddenly felt Rin's eyes on me.

When I looked up at him our eyes locked and I quickly looked away.

"What?" I asked as I began taking strands of my hair away from the Chocobo who had been playing with it.

"You." I snorted at this and looked over at him.

"Oh, and I'm suppose to believe that?"

I whacked him in the arm and he chuckled as he tried to dodge my hit.

"We should get going." Auron said suddenly from the side lines, walking up with a serious look on his face.

_I'd pay just to see him TRY to smile once._ I couldn't help but roll my eyes, not intending for Auron to see.

"Yes." Yuna said with a nod. I heard Rin chuckle from beside me and glanced up at him.

"Is he annoying too?" He asked teasingly in a low voice so we could only hear. I sighed as I shook my head.

"I swear that guy has a stick up his butt."

Rin placed his hands on his hips and shook his head while smiling.

"Ah, but you're only looking at the surface. Get to know him…it may surprise you what you'll find underneath."

I gave Rin a weird look and then glanced over at Auron as I walked to the side of my Chocobo.

"Just between you and me, he doesn't like me very much." Rin made a face.

"Well, why not?"

"It's a long story."

"Shorten it."

I sighed as I realized Rin was going to be difficult again. He hasn't changed. "Well," I began as I watched the others hop up on the backs of their Chocobos.

_I'm to short to do that!_

"Hmm…I wonder if I could get this bird to squat down for me." I muttered, hearing Rin laugh as I said this.

"I'd like to see you try."

I smirked and looked back up at the bird. "Sit, boy." I said in a cheerful voice before slowly sitting on the ground to demonstrate. The Chocobo, who had been watching me the whole time, actually complied by slowly squatting down and chirping happily. I laughed with excitement as Rin nodded with approval.

"Very well done, Cynyr. I'm impressed." I smiled as I hoped up on the back of the giant bird and it automatically began to rise. I grabbed hold of its neck in surprise and heard Rin laugh from below.

"Anyways...to make a long story short, I attacked Auron back in Luca thinking he was the enemy."

"Well, you've apologized, I hope." Rin asked with a raised brow. I gave him a look before replying.

"Of course I did. He's just...difficult." I sighed with a shake of my head.

"Give it time."

"I'll race you!" I heard Tidus shout at Wakka and I turned to find the two turning their Chocobos around, ready to race. I smiled and then looked back down at Rin.

"Well, I guess this is good-bye." Rin walked around to the side and looked up at me as he patted the birds neck.

"You'll most likely see me again. I own a lot of the Travel Agency's in Spira." I smiled a small smile.

"You wouldn't be stalking me?" I teased. Rin rolled his eyes but smiled.

"Get out of here."

I grinned as I waved then turned my bird around and began to follow the others. Auron and Kimahri were apparently going to walk instead of ride.

"Slow poke!" I called down at both Auron and Kimahri, but Auron only harrumphed. Two hours passed with little action from fiends and we had finally reached Mushroom Rock where another Chocobo corral was near. So, handing them over to them, we decided to walk the rest of the way.

When we reached a gate we found Luzu, one of the Crusaders, with a younger crusader with him. Several other crusaders were walking about, carts parked on the side of the road that held cages with fiends inside.

When we got to the gate, a soldier posted there immediately stopped us. Because of the Operation being so dangerous we weren't permitted through. We had to get "permission" if we wanted to get pass. So, we stood around in a group trying to figure out another way around Operation Mi'hean.

"Now what?" Tidus sighed as he folded his hands behind his head. "There's got to be another way…" Wakka muttered to himself.

"Oh. Maester Seymour." Yuna suddenly said. The sound of his name gave me chills and I immediately turned in the direction Yuna was looking. There, coming down the road was Seymour with two other Guado following behind him.

Tidus and I crossed our arms and glared at him as he approached Yuna, barely acknowledging the rest of us.

"Ah, Lady Yuna." Seymour began, looking directly at her. Yuna immediately bowed to the young Maester, addressing him respectfully.

"What seems to be the matter?" Seymour asked as he noticed immediately the troubled look on her face.

"Well…" She trailed off as she looked behind her at the gate. Seymour smiled.

"I see."

He walked past us with pride and approached the gate keeper. We slowly followed him and within seconds we were allowed through. With Seymour, unfortunately.

We stopped when we suddenly came across a group of Crusaders that were standing at attention as Seymour approached them. One of them that were standing off to the side saluted the Maester.

"All hail! Maester Seymour."

_Yeah it's hell alright._

"Brave Crusaders of Spira! Protectors of all Spira!" Seymour called out to all of the soldiers in front of him.

"Believe in the path you have choosen. Let faith be your strength! I, Seymour Guado, Maester of Yevon, will bare witness to your deeds today!" When he was finished, all the Crusaders saluted him at once and all called out in unison, "sir!"

"What's going on?" Wakka suddenly asked as the Crusaders began to leave.

"Why's Maester Seymour backing up the Crusaders, eh?"

We all turned to look at him and he continued. "They're using Al Bhed's machina! They're violating the teachings!" He exclaimed angrily.

"Even going against the teachings…they're willing to risk it for the greater good." Yuna explained from behind him. "Wakka, I think Maester Seymour sees that too." Wakka turned around to face her, obviously not convinced as he began to stammer.

"Lulu?" He looked to her for help, but she gave a little shrug.

"I can only speculate." Wakka sighed and held a hand to his head.

"Ask him yourself." Auron suggested. At that moment, Seymour began to walk towards us, his eyes on Yuna before sweeping over to Auron.

"Ah, Sir Auron," he began and suddenly looked over in my direction. I held his gaze, trying not to look away no matter how much I wanted to. Even though it was only for a split second and his expression had changed, I found it hard to read.

_He knows that Auron is still alive...so was that look a look of disappointment?_

I watched as Auron suddenly began to leave as he spoke. "I've got nothing to say about it." Seymour watched Auron leave.

"I see." He turned back to face the rest of us, but as he did he gave me a smirk and then turned his attention to Yuna.

_What was that look for?_ I wondered, but decided to push it aside.

"Sir Auron must be a great asset as a guardian." Seymour was saying.

_Yeah, more like a great pain in the ass._

"Your Grace." Yuna stammered before bowing quickly.

"Please," Seymour began with a shake of his head, "there's no need for formalities." Finally, Wakka stepped up, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Excuse me. Maester Seymour…why is your Lordship presently…present here, sir?"

Lulu shook her head, embarrassed for Wakka as he stood dumbly in front of Seymour.

"Please, speak as you normally would."

"D-uh…isn't this operation against the teachings of Yevon? Aren't you going to stop them?"

"It's true. I should."

Wakka hummed in his throat with agreement as he crossed his arms. "However, the Crusaders and the Al Bhed truly wish for peace in Spira. This operation was born from the wish they shared. Although it may be sacrilege by Yevon, their intentions are pure."

_Dude, this guy talks WAY to much._

"And I, Maester Seymour, wish them well."

"But-" Wakka began again, "using machina…that's bad isn't it?"

"Pretend you didn't see them." Seymour finally replied and we all gasped in surprise.

_Wow. I really didn't see that coming._

"I beg your pardon, but I don't think that's something a Maester should say!" Wakka exclaimed.

"Then pretend I didn't say it." Seymour said with a shrug, then began to walk away as we all stood in shock. After he had left we decided to continue on down the road. Several Crusaders were running past us, others standing to the side talking to one another.

"Excuse me, Lady Summoner Yuna?" A young Crusader saluted Yuna as he approached us.

"Yes."

"The Command Center…Maester Seymour requests your precense there." Yuna paused.

"Thank you." She looked over at Auron who just nodded

"Take that road to the Command Center, it's not far. We're still in the midst of preparations this way. Sorry." Then he turned and began to run back down the road we had been headed down. So, we turned and left down the other that he had suggested.

We came across a lot of fiends and talked with Luzu, which was a complete utter train wreck in the end, and finally reached the battle fields after about an hour.

"Ugh, it won't work anyway." Wakka growled with arms crossed as he watched some Crusaders herd some fiends into a large prison that was all chained up.

"Don't say that." Yuna said with a shake of her head. "It may be a loss cause and it may be defying Yevon's teachings, but the Crusaders and the Al Bhed are doing their best to defeat Sin. They want to rid Spira of Sin forever, and that's just what we want to!"She turned to face the rest of us and Wakka. "Isn't it?" Then she repeated her question, only more softly. Wakka sighed heavily.

"Alright, alright!" He waved a hand and then crossed his arms over his chest again, looking away from Yuna.

"But I still think machina is bad news!" He scanned the battle fields full of machina, Crusaders, and Al Bhed. "They're forbidden for a reason." He added. I looked around the place as well and then up at the sky. It was a gloomy grey, describing the place perfectly.

"Lady Yuna!"

We all turned to the sound of Lucille's voice as she walked up to us. "There you are. The Command Center is that way," she pointed to our left, "Maester Kinoc is also there." Yuna nodded and we began to walk from the battle fields towards the Command Center. Upon entering a fat guy in robes stood up as he saw us.

"Ah, I'd heard from Seymour, but I didn't think we'd actually get to meet!" Maester Kinoc exclaimed as he waddled over to Auron and gave him a hug. I wanted to laugh out loud from the expression that Auron had on his face.

"It's good to see you Auron." Kinoc said with a smile. "Ten years is it?" Then he began to laugh. Suddenly, a Crusader entered the Command Center and saluted Kinoc.

"All troops ready for your command, sir!" Kinoc returned his salute.

"Good. Dismissed."

"Sir!" Then the Crusader left. Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri also began to leave while Tidus, Yuna, and I stayed behind.

"Tell me Auron, where have you been for the past ten years?"

"We don't have time for this now, do we?"

"This plan won't work…you know that. We'll just let them dream a little longer." Kinoc said with a shrug.

"What?" Tidus and I said in unison, but before anyone could answer us, Seymour butted in.

"Lord Kinoc." The fat man turned to Seymour.

"Oh, right. Proceed." Then, after Auron and Kinoc exchanged a few more words, a Crusader close by began to speak to all of us.

"It is time at last. We must tell the Al Bhed to begin the operation at once. The fiends may break through, this place is not safe. Make sure you're prepared to defend yourselves." Kinoc and Seymour began to walk off past the Crusader towards a platform where Kinoc stood, overlooking the entire battle fields.

"Will Sin come?" Yuna asked the Crusader.

"Sin always comes back for his sinspawn. To make sure, we're going to encourage them to call out to it."

"You won't have to. It'll come." Auron remarked from the back of the group. We turned to look at him, then we turned to the sound of Kinoc's voice as he commanded for the sinspawn to be let up.

On a chain, the large prison that held all of the sinspwan inside began to be pulled up into the air. They grew angry from inside and we all watched as an orb of blue light appear around it, electricity arching in all directions.

Suddenly, the gate burst open and we all gasped as Crusaders began to run around shouting orders. The sinspawns had escaped and we all withdrew out weapons as I giant monster of a fiend landed roughly before us, shaking the ground as it did so.

Yuna, Lulu, and Wakka immediately drew up to the front lines, Yuna attacking with Fira followed by Lulu. Wakka then attacked it next with his Blitzball and the sinspawn roared before coming forwards to attack Lulu. She jumped back quickly and cast Fira again.

Over and over we all attacked the giant fiend, taking it down limb from limb. Multiple times a few of us were hit by the sinspwan and had to pull out to be healed. The beast was big and fought hard, but we were fighting just as hard. About an hour passed before we had finally defeated the ugly thing and all of us watched as it slowly died.

Suddenly, just over the horizon we saw black ink like tentacles slither through the water, coming towards the beach where many Crusaders and Al Bhed's waited. Then, with a huge splash and a roar from Sin, it surfaced the water. From below on the beach we heard war cries from the Crusaders and Al Bhed, withdrawing their weapons as they got ready to charge forward.

"FIRE!" We heard several people shout from around and below us, and in seconds the place was filled with smoke and fire, the sound of explosions filling the air as they fired the machina at Sin. He roared from the waters as his skin was burned and charred, bits of flesh falling into the water around him.

Suddenly, the Crusaders below began to charge as hundreds of sinspawn came up from the water and began to attack them.

"Look out!" Auron shouted suddenly and we all hit the ground immediately as Sin transformed and regenerated, suddenly creating a huge force field around himself that shone a dark blue. Electricity arched off of the ball just like the sinswans in the prison.

Sin drew close to the beach where the Crusaders and Al Bhed fought. Suddenly, the force field bulged and then shot out like lightening towards the beach. A bright light engulfed us followed by an explosion and we all covered our heads quickly.

When the light faded I slowly got up from where I lay and looked around me to find Lulu and Wakka a few feet away from me.

"Where's Yuna?" Lulu exclaimed with worry in her voice. Wakka looked around, dazed and dizzy. "Whoa…"

"There!" I shouted as I pointed down the road where a huge fiend was attacking Yuna with Auron and Seymour next to her as they tried their best to defeat the fiend.

"Lets go!"

* * *

><p>Re-uploaded this chapter cause it needed some fixing, thanks to Dark Crystal. :) Loved the three comments I got so far. ^-^ Really excited and really pumped to go through with this story.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Holy crap, I'm _just _now figuring out how to put that stupid horizontal ruler in at the bottom so I can seperate my comments and the story from one another!

I'm such a dip stick. I was trying to insert my own on the keyboard and when it wasn't working I was all like, "why isn't it working!" But now that that problem is fixed, I will look into trying to put the line in on my other chapters.

The song she sings is by Plumb.

**Disclaimer: **SQUARE OWNS EVERYTHING! Except my stuff I put in here. :)

* * *

><p><strong>The Stone Barer <strong>

Yuna held a solemn look on her face as she slowly twirled her staff, dancing the dead away as the Pyerflies filled the air all at once. They thickened the air to the point you could hardly see past them. The sighing that came from them also filled the air, causing the mood to thicken as well.

So many had died trying to save Spira, but Sin had gotten the better of them. The image of the electricity zapping at the giant machina on the cliff played over and over in my head as I watched Yuna dance. At first they had been able to push back most of Sin's energy orb, but a bulge formed on the other side, snapping the machina in half as it struck it violently. I sat down from where I stood and sadly looked down at the ground, suddenly reminded of Hina.

I wasn't to fond of machina either…but I didn't hate it or the Al Bhed. They were people just like the rest of us. All of us wanted Sin to be gone. It didn't matter to Yevon whether or not we followed the teachings. It was so clear to me…I wondered why no on else saw it either. _I'm sure there are some that do…but there are so few. _

Hours later, we left and arrived at the temple of D'jose where Yuna prayed to the Fayth and gained another Aeon. Afterwards, we decided to stay the night inside the temple so we could be fully refreshed for another day of travel.

As I sat in my room, finally alone, I tried to ask Ida a few questions about Seymour, Kinoc, and that creature that had attacked me in the Inn, but I got little out of her. Like usual, she only told me what I needed to know.

All I found out was that Auron and Kinoc were once best friends ten years ago, Seymour's father had died and that was how he had become a maester and that he was obviously in love with Yuna. I knew this without her even having to tell me.

Then, she began to tell me of the creature that had attacked me.

_He's a dangerous threat to the Fayth. And you. You're job is to kill him once and for all. _

When I tried to ask more about him she wouldn't answer. I sighed as I feel back on my bed and closed my eyes, humming softly to myself as a song that Ida used to sing to me came to mind. Soon, I broke out into words.

_Your baby blues…so full of wonder._

_Your curly Q's…your contagious smile._

_And as I watch…you start to grow up._

_All I can do…is hold you tight._

_Knowing: clouds will rage in! Storms will race in!_

_But you will be safe…in my arms._

_Rains will pour down! Waves will crash around!_

_But you will be safe…in my arms._

It was a beautiful song. One I loved to hear my mother, Ida, sing to my every night when I was little. Even when I was grown, she would sing it to me when I needed comfort. Now, I sang it to comfort us both.

I hadn't sung in a while. Not since the day Hina had died. I used to sing so many songs when I was living with Hina and the Al Bhed. I had even taught her a few of the songs that I knew when I realized that she could sing as well. The two of us would sing, sometimes, in front of her parents on nights when the air warm and not so cold, and we would all be sitting on the porch enjoying the evening air.

They'd listen to us sing for hours, clap, and comment, and then we'd retire to bed. Hina had given me their extra room that had once been her brother's room when I had gone to live with them. She had later explained to me that he had died trying to protect her against sinspawn that had attacked near Home.

_Story books…are full of fairytales._

_Of kings and queens…and the bluest skies!_

_My heart is torn…just in knowing._

_You'll someday see…the truth from lies._

_When the clouds will rage in! Storms will race in!_

_But you will be safe…in my arms_

_Rains will pour down…waves will crash around._

_But you will be safe…in my arms._

It wasn't long after she had died when I felt the need to leave her parents home. Not wanting them to feel like I was abandoning them, I told them one night that I needed to leave, to travel, to find my own place. I was mostly lying to them, but only because I didn't want to tell them that living there was a reminder of Hina to me, constantly.

I guess you could say I was being a little selfish. Her parents were obviously feeling the same way! Heck, they lived there! The place would always remind them of their two lost and only children. Nonetheless, they said it would be alright for me to leave if I wanted to. So the next morning I packed my things and headed out.

Rin hadn't known I was leaving at all, so when he soon found out I'm sure he sulked about it for days. I had never really said good-bye to him, nor had he apologized. That night in the Inn on the Highroad had been the first time seeing him in six years.

I was seventeen when I'd left, living for six years on the road, never setting somewhere. Always traveling. I lived on what little money I could find and get, working odd jobs left and right. Luckily, I had a weapon to defend myself from fiends; that had been one way I had gotten my money. It was hard living that way, but I had made it through and now…here I was as a guardian to a summoner.

_Castle's, they might crumble!_

_Dreams may not come true!_

_But you are never all alone!_

_Cause I will always…always love you!_

_When the clouds will rage in!_

_Storms will race in!_

_But you will be safe…in my arms!_

_Rains will pour down!_

_Waves will crash around!_

_But you will be safe…in my arms…_

_In my arms…_

My voice soften towards the end then quieted to a whisper as I slowly fell asleep.

Sometime during the night I awoke to find the lights still on in my bedroom and my armor still on. My body ached and I groaned as I slowly rose from the bed.

_Crap…it's no wonder I couldn't sleep peacefully. I got this junk on! _

I groggily began to remove my armor, starting with the shoulder guards then the gloves, my breast plate, and then the chain like skirt that went around my shorts.

I placed them down on the floor beside my bed and leaned my sword against the wall beside the night stand. Finally, I began to take the small pack, that was tied around my waist, off and looked inside for the comb I used to brush out my hair.

I got up and walked over to the small table that was on the other side of the room, a mirror hung above it. I pulled out the stool and with a heavy sigh I sat down and began to comb through my hair.

After twenty minutes of brushing the tangles out I turned to find a door on the same wall and got up to open it. Inside was a small bathroom with a shower. Despite how late it was I hopped into the shower, taking only enough time to wash my body and hair.

The soap that was already in the shower smelled good, and I smiled at my reflection in the mirror and I brought some of my hair to my nose.

"Now…time for bed." I murmured as I dried my hair the best I could with the towel, braided it, and then jumped into bed. This time, I turned the lights out and almost instantly fell asleep.

Morning came to soon. It felt as though I had only been asleep for five minutes when I heard someone banging on my door.

"Get up, Cynyr!" I heard Tidus shout from the other side. I rolled over in my bed and groaned.

"Five more minutes." I growled. He must have heard me because he immediately answered.

"No way! I didn't get five minutes, so there's no way I'm letting you get any either!"

I pulled the covers up over my head, trying to block out the noise he was making. I was almost asleep again when the covers were suddenly torn away from my body. My eyes snapped open and I turned to find Tidus with his hands on his hips, looking sternly down at me.

Thankfully, I was wearing my clothing, for once, in bed, otherwise, he would be on the ground with his arm twisted behind his back.

"Tidus…the next time you want to come in. Knock and warn me." I sighed heavily and Tidus gave me an odd look.

"Because what you see now may not have been what you would've seen on a regular basis."

Tidus immediately caught on and seemed flustered for a moment.

"Wait. You sleep na-" Before he could get the words out, Wakka appeared in the doorway.

"Yo! Sleepy head, get up. And Tidus…What are you doing in here?" Tidus turned to Wakka and scratched the back of his head as he laughed nervously.

"Eh, just trying to get her out of bed!" He exclaimed. I slowly sat up in the bed then began to pull my armor on.

"Get out Tidus." I sighed, and he jumped back before finally walking out, Wakka following him.

When I finally got outside with the rest of the gang, I realized that Yuna was the only one absent. Five minutes later she came running out of the temple in a hurry.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed as she bowed deeply to all of us.

"It's alright, Yuna. You needed your rest." Lulu quickly replied as Yuna turned to her.

"But-"

"Here, your hair." Lulu walked up to her and immediately began to help fix her hair that was sticking out in all directions. Yuna looked surprised and then embarrassed.

"Oh!" Lulu chuckled and then finished.

"I didn't mean to keep you all waiting." She apologized again.

"It's fine." Lulu said with a smile, "but with all that snoring." She began to tease. Yuna's eyes grew wide with surprise and we all began to laugh. Yuna's face turned pink but she smiled nonetheless as she realized they were only teasing her.

Even though she knew she was going to die, and even though we kept finding death and destruction as we continued on, she kept on smiling.

_She's really strong. _

Finally, we were back on the road headed for the Moonflow. From there we would go to Guadosalm, although there wasn't any temples there, we would pass through and go on into the Thunderplains.

As we walked through the jungle it was mostly quiet, except for the sounds of the many animals that were in the trees and on the ground. Harmless creatures we didn't have to worry about.

"Hey, does anyone want to hear a joke?" Tidus suddenly asked, surprising us.

"I don't think that will be necessary." Auron remarked. Tidus rolled his eyes.

"Come one old man! Lighten up." Auron only harrumphed and Tidus sighed dramatically.

"I want to hear it." Yuna suddenly said from beside him. Tidus looked down at her in surprise but smiled with satisfaction.

"Okay," he began. "Once, a captain on his ship was disturbed by his assistant telling him, "Sir! Sir! There are five enemy ships on the horizon!" Yuna nodded as she listened. I could tell, although they tried not to show it, the others were listening as well.

"The captain tells the man, "Get my red coat and prepare for battle!" The assistant runs without question to get the captains red coat and prepares for battle. After their victory the assistant asks the captain why he wanted his red coat." Tidus continued.

"The captain tells the assistant "If I was shot you would not be able

to tell I'm bleeding and you would keep fighting." The assistant thought this was a great idea." Tidus explained, smiling as he was soon getting towards the final punch line.

"The next day the assistant came to the captain, "Sir! Sir! There are twenty enemy ships on the horizon!" The captain was stunned. He looked at the assistant and told him "Get me my brown pants!""

At first, there was just silence. Then, slowly, everyone began to understand and Yuna began to laugh first. Tidus watched her and the others laugh and soon joined in with that high pitched laughter of his. I smiled as I shook my head and thought, _only Tidus…only Tidus. _

As they continued to talk and laugh, I heard something make a small popping noise and Auron, who walked in front of me, grabbed the back of his head.

I frowned but continued to walk as he stopped and then turned. I was about to walk past him when I realized he was glaring at me. I stumbled then stopped, looking from Auron to the others who had also stopped and were looking at the two of us curiously.

"Whoa, why is everyone looking at me for?" I asked with surprise. Auron continued to glare at me.

"Someone," he growled, "threw a rock at me." I blinked in surprised, then knitted my brows.

"Oh, so you automatically assume it was me?" I stated more than asked as I placed my hands on my hips.

"You _are _the only one walking behind me." Auron pointed out.

"What, am I three? Why would I do something so- ow!" I grabbed the back of my head as I felt something hard but small hit me in the back of the head. Auron looked beyond me now, his hand on the hilt of his sword as he scanned the woods.

"Can fiends throw rocks?" Tidus asked skeptically. I rubbed the back of my head as I watched Auron. He looked over his shoulder for only a second to say something, but he was cut off as I cried out in surprise and fell on the ground.

"Whoa!" Both Tidus and Wakka exclaimed as I heard laughing and growling from atop my back.

_What the crap! _

I tried to get up, but I felt a sharp pain in my side as one of the creatures that stood on my back clawed at me.

"Hey!"

"Watch out."

Auron immediately withdrew his sword and I covered my head as he swung his katana horizontally above my back. There were screams heard from the monstrous creatures as they were cut in half and then began to disperse into Pyerflies.

I quickly stood and looked behind me as if to find another of the little creatures.

"What…was that?" I asked as I rubbed my side, finding blood on my fingertips. Auron scanned the jungle once more before sheathing his sword.

"They almost looked like…goblins." Lulu commented. I wiped the blood off my fingers on my leg and blinked when I saw the images of Lulu, Tidus, Wakka, Yuna, and Kimahri get fuzzy.

_Whoa, that was random. _

I blinked again as my vision went in and out of focus. I took a step back and then felt myself fall backwards, my body suddenly feeling like jelly.

"Hey!" I heard Tidus shout and then I felt strong arms grab hold of me before I could hit the ground. Looking up, I found Auron looking down at me, but his face was getting blurry. Sounds began to fade in and out as well, and I could hear my heart beat thud loudly inside my chest.

"Cynyr, are you alright?" I heard someone ask me, but that was all I heard before everything went black and silent.

When I awoke, sound and vision slowly came into focus. I began to open my eyes when I heard voices familiar voices.

_Where am I? What happened?_

I blinked several times and realized I was being carried. I saw red fabric in front of my eyes and only knew of one person who wore red and almost groaned aloud.

_Aw, why couldn't it have been Wakka or Tidus- heck even Kimahri! _

I moved and Auron immediately stopped walking and looked down at me. The others were immediately surrounding us.

"Hey, you okay?" I heard Wakka ask as I rubbed one of my eyes with a hand.

"Put me down."

"Are you sure?" Auron asked, surprising me a little.

"I'm fine. Put me down." I demanded, so Auron slowly set me down on my feet and I tried to stand when a wave of dizziness overcame me.

Before I could even try to catch myself I felt myself falling and then Auron's strong hands grab hold of my arms.

"No, I can walk just-"

"I don't think that would be wise." Lulu interrupted and I looked up at her.

"You were out for quite a while, ya." Wakka added then Yuna stepped up and placed a hand on my side where the creatures had inflicted me with their claws, teeth, whatever it was. She closed her eyes and began to whisper under her breath and I felt the wound close and heal. I even began to feel less dizzy and more alert.

"It seems that when the one bit you it injected poison into your body. I'm sure they had planned on eating you afterwards." Lulu explained. Yuna stood up straight and took a step back.

"How do you feel now?" I smiled a small smile and nodded.

"I don't feel quite so dizzy anymore…thanks." Yuna nodded with her own smile.

"Do you think you can walk now?" Auron asked from behind me. I had almost forgotten he was still holding me up.

"Yeah, I think so." I replied as I moved away from him slowly and stood. I took in a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright! Lets go. We're almost to the Moonflow." Tidus exclaimed as he punched the air. We turned and began to walk on down the dirt path, I, walking slowly at first until I was walking more steadily. All the while, Auron walked beside me.

* * *

><p>Who liked this chapter! :D<p>

The idea of the trolls attacking her came to me a few nights ago and at first I wasn't sure about it, so I tried it out and I liked the outcome. :) It was pretty clever, I think.

Review and I will love you forever! 3


	5. Chapter 5

This is absolutely awesome! Four reviews already that are keeping me up on cloud nine! XD Thanks everyone; a bunch! Your reviews, critiques, praise, tips...they all mean a lot to me.

Now, for chap. five!

**Disclaimer: **Square owns Final Fantasy X except my characters and stuff I've added.

In this chapter I've put more of my character into the story than you _have _been seeing and she interacts more with the others. :)

* * *

><p><em>My eyes grew wide as I looked down at the slime on the boot and heard Tidus laugh from behind me as Wakka tried to shut him up. I slowly looked up as I tried not to laugh as well.<em>

**Acceptance**

"Whoa!" Tidus breathed with amazement as he walked up to the edge of the Moonflow, Pyerflies dancing along the waters, floating up into the sky as they shone like stars. I looked up at Tidus curiously.

"Haven't you ever seen this place?"

Tidus shook his head as he continued to look out at the sparkling water.

"This is the Moonflow." Lulu explained to him. The rest of the guardians gathered around and Yuna sat down at the waters edge, watching the Pyerflies float from the Moon Lilies that covered most of the waters surface near the bank.

"They say that clouds of Pyerflies gather here when night falls." Yuna said softly and Tidus leaned over to get a better look at the Moon Lilies.

"The entire river glows…like a sea of stars." Lulu added.

"Hey, I got an idea!" Tidus suddenly exclaimed, holding up a finger for emphasis.

"We're not waiting 'til night fall." Auron quickly retorted before Tidus could even say his _idea. _ He slowly lowered his hand, looking defeated, but then turned around to face Auron.

"Then once we beat Sin we're coming back!"

It immediately became quiet as Tidus stupidly turned back around with satisfaction, the rest of us awkwardly looking away.

_Doesn't he know? _

I glanced over at Tidus and then the others. They all avoided looking at him. Even Yuna.

_Apparently, they haven't told him, otherwise, he wouldn't have said something as stupid as that. _I looked out at the water, watching the Pyerflies that reminded me so much of home as they shimmered gracefully above the water.

_How could he not know, though? _

Auron suddenly began to walk off and Wakka laid a hand on Tidus's shoulder to get his attention.

"We better hurry, ya if we want to catch the Shoopuf!" Tidus immediately looked at him with an odd expression.

"Is that some kind of boat?"

Wakka smiled as he pointed up ahead and then began to walk off in the direction Auron had gone. All of us soon followed, and as Tidus marveled over the large Shoopuf that slowly walked out into the water, I stood next to Lulu.

"Tidus…" I began slowly, "why does he ask so many questions?"

"He claims to be from Zanarkand." My eyes widened in surprise then I looked over at Tidus with a skeptical look on my face.

"Are you serious?"

"So far…it seems as though he really is from a world…with no Sin." Lulu replied slowly.

"And you guys believe this?"

"We're not really sure whether to believe him or not." Lulu shrugged. "Wakka thinks he was hit by Sin's toxin…but he doesn't act like he's been hit by it." I nodded slowly and looked back over at Tidus and Wakka.

"Hmm…interesting." I murmured before walking down towards the docks, finding Auron leaned against one of the walls.

_Go to him. _Ida whispered.

"Hey," I began as I stood before him with my arms crossed, "just thought I should thank you for earlier." Auron looked up at me, his expression hard to read from all the collar that covered his face.

"Your welcome." He finally replied before falling silent. But then he spoke again.

"Just so you know…I've accepted your apology." I wasn't expecting this and raised a brow as I slowly nodded my head.

"Well, thanks. I'm glad we don't have to be enemies any more." I said with a slight smile.

"Huh. We weren't really enemies."

"Oh, come on. You can't tell me you haven't hated me up until now." Auron laughed lightly at my statement.

"I've thought the same thing about you." I bit my lip and averted my eyes from him momentarily.

"Sorry."

"Apology accepted." Auron said with a small smile.

"Hey!" We both turned to the sound of Tidus's voice. He was on top of the docks looking down at us with a huge grin on his face.

"Lets go!" He exclaimed before turning away.

When we all boarded the Shoopuf Tidus sat down by himself on one of the benches, Yuna on the other that was across from him with Kimahri beside her. Wakka sat beside Kimahri and I sat beside Wakka while Auron and Lulu sat across from us.

"Shoopuf launching!" The driver called out and the Shoopuff began moving through the waters towards the North bank of the Moonflow. As we got into deeper and deeper water Wakka turned to Tidus.

"Hey."

"What?"

"Take a look." Wakka gestured with his head at the water behind him and Tidus got up and walked to the edge to look over.

"Whoa! A sunken city." He marveled.

"A machina city, a thousand years old. They built the city on bridges across the river." Wakka explained. I looked over my shoulder as well to look down into the clear water.

"But the weight of the city caused the bridges to collapse and it all sank to the bottom." Lulu added.

"Right. It's a good lesson." Wakka agreed.

"A lesson?"

"Why build a city over a river, ya?"

"Well…it would be convenient with all that water there." Tidus pointed out.

"No, that's not why." Wakka immediately disagreed. I looked up at him in surprise.

"They just wanted to prove they could defy the laws of nature!"

"Uh, I'm not so sure about that." Tidus said slowly.

"I agree with Tidus." I said from beside Wakka who shook his head and began to speak.

"Yevon has taught us: when humans have power they seek to use it. If you don't stop them they go to far, ya?" Tidus turned away from the edge and walked back to his seat.

"Yeah, but don't you use machina to? Like the stadium and stuff, right?"

"Yevon decides which machina we may use and which of it we may not." Lulu explained.

"Well, which machina _may we not use _then?" Tidus asked with a bit of frustration.

"Remember Operation Mi'hean? That kind." Wakka said with a matter-of-fact.

"Or war will rage again." Lulu added.

"War?"

"More than a thousand years ago," Yuna began, "mankind waged war with machina to kill."

"They kept making more and more powerful machina." Wakka added.

"That it was thought that they could destroy the whole world." Lulu finished. Tidus's face expression was a look of surprise and wonder as they continued to explain the war to him and why machina was so bad.

"So, Sin's our punishment for letting things get out of hand, eh?" Wakka explained.

"But it's not like the machina's bad." Tidus said slowly.

"Only as bad as their users." Lulu pointed out.

"It's because of the Al Bhed screwing everything up!" Wakka exclaimed as he pounded his fist on his leg. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Suddenly, the whole place shook as if an explosion had happened beneath the water, startling us and causing us to jump to our feet.

"Sit down." Auron commanded. Yuna suddenly cried out and we all turned to her, but she was being taken overboard by an Al Bhed who had managed to grab her. Tidus, Wakka, and I immediately jumped over the side and into the water, swimming towards the huge machina that floated in the water down below that held Yuna captive.

Tidus immediately caste Haste on himself and the two of us before attacking the large machina that shot at us. Wakka took three shots at the machina, causing it to crack and shake. Then, Tidus made a series of attacks with his sword and the machina slowly began to rise in the water. I began to swim out to it and attacked it with my own sword, causing the machina to lower back down.

"We should try hitting it all at once." I suggested. The two men looked at one another and then back at me.

"Sure, I guess we could try it." Wakka replied.

"Lets go!" Tidus exclaimed and we all swam quickly towards the machina all at once and simultaneously attacked it. This seemed to effect it greatly, so we hit it again in unison three more times before the machina began to whir and cough like it was going to explode.

Tidus immediately swam forward as the machina grew louder and louder. He grabbed Yuna as it began to sink and swam for the surface. Wakka and I swam close behind, hearing the machina finally sink to the bottom and explode.

"Phew!" Tidus exclaimed once we were all safely back on the Shoopuf.

"Are you hurt?" Lulu immediately asked Yuna.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Damn the Al Bhed!" We all turned in surprise from Wakka's sudden outburst.

"What do they want from us?" He growled. "Could it have something to do with Luca? Why do they want Yuna for?" The, he pounded his fist in his palm. "Wait. They're mad about losing the tournament. Or wait! They're mad about Operation Mi'hean!" He paused.

"Or wait!"

"Wakka! Shut up!"

Everyone looked at me in surprise as I stood there with my hands on my hips, glaring down at Wakka in frustration.

"I am so sick to death of you always hating on the Al Bhed! They're people just like us! The only thing different are their beliefs!" I exclaimed.

"_And_ they use the forbidden machina!" Wakka added angrily.

"Good for them!" I said in a higher tone. "Just keep your stupid comments to yourself! Maybe _we _don't want to hear them, cause I know I don't!" As I said this I thought I heard Ida say something to me, but I ignored her.

"Yeah but they don't believe in Yevon! And they also kidnapped Yuna."

"Wakka…" I sighed, "that was in the past. Let. It. Go. So they don't believe in Yevon…" I shrugged, "that's their business. Not yours." Wakka growled as he set his chin on his fist and glowered at the ground.

"I still don't like them." He grumbled. I sighed as I threw my hands up in exasperation and sat down next to Tidus, trying to cool off.

A long awkward silence followed.

_Anger won't solve anything. _Ida's voice suddenly echoed in my head. _Yeah, well...tell that to Wakka._

"Hey Wakka." Tidus finally spoke up. "It's no use complaining about the Al Bhed now, right? We'll protect Yuna from anyone, anywhere. It's that easy. That's all I need to know." Wakka sighed.

"Yup…I guess so."

When we were let off at the North Bank I noticed Tidus immediately began to explore off on his own. I found Yuna sitting on a bench with Kimahri standing close by and decided to go talk to her. When I approached Yuna looked up and smiled.

"Oh, Lady Cynyr…I want to thank you for earlier."

I sat down beside her.

"Why's that?" I asked slowly.

"Well…you see, my mother was an Al Bhed and when Wakka started saying the things he said…I took it offence."

"Oh…I didn't know you were part Al Bhed." Then I paused as I looked at her bi-colored eyes and smiled.

"I guess that explains your eye color then. I can't believe I didn't realize it before." Yuna smiled and there was a long silence between us as we stayed with our own thoughts for a while.

"Tidus sure does ask a lot of questions." I commented.

"He does…but he has so much to learn." I leaned back against the back of the bench as I looked over at her.

"Where did you meet him?"

"In Besaid. I had just learned I'd become a summoner when I realized he was with Wakka and Lulu." She explained. "He said he came from Zanarkand…Wakka and Lulu didn't believe him, but they suggested him to go with us to Luca in case someone there might recognize him."

"Then…that's how he became your guardian?" I asked. Yuna nodded with a small smile.

"What about Lulu and Wakka? And Kimahri?"

"Wakka and Lulu are almost like a family to me." Yuna began to explain. "They took me in when my father had died. Kimahri was the one who looked after me before that." She smiled up at the tall Ronso, and it was hard to tell, but Kimahri was smiling too.

"Kimahri always faithful to Yuna." He growled deeply.

"What about Auron?"

"He was once my father's guardian ten years ago…I met him back in Luca when the fiends attacked."

The memory of that day suddenly entered my head and I winced inwardly. Suddenly, Yuna began to laugh and I looked over at her curiously.

"I'm sorry." She said with a smile. "I was just remembering how Auron had you up against that wall about ready to kill you." I raised my brows in surprise. "That's suppose to be funny?"

"Well…not exactly. What I mean is…you two act as though you're enemies, even after you've apologized." I bit my lip as I ran a hand through my hair.

"Uh…yeah, about that. Um…I already talked to him earlier. And we're cool now."

"That's good. I wouldn't want any of my guardians to be angry with one another while we're on this Pilgrimage. Now it's my turn."

"Huh?"

"How did you become Seymour's body guard?" Yuna asked. I laughed nervously.

"Well…I was without a job so when he asked I took his offer." I shrugged and Yuna nodded before asking me another question.

"I know you've said you weren't Al Bhed…but how is it that you were living with them for a time?" Before I could reply, I heard Ida's voice warn me.

_Keep your secrets. _

"Um…" I began slowly, trying to think of a good way to tell her without say to much. "After my parents died…someone found me." I paused as I looked over at Yuna who nodded and waited for me to keep going. "And they took me to the Al Bhed where I lived with a girl and her parents; she was about my age…her name was Hina." I explained. Yuna nodded again as she continued to look up at me, apparently wanting me to continue.

"And I had lived with her until I was seventeen…after she died." I said those last words slowly and Yuna suddenly held a hand to her mouth.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"Nah, it's fine. That was six years ago." Yuna dropped her hand and looked up at me solemnly.

"It's hard to lose someone you love. I know how that feels." She said softly.

"Ever since then I've just been traveling and working odd jobs. And now…here I am!" Yuna beamed. "Yes. And I'm glad I asked you to be my guardian." I looked at her with curiosity.

"Oh- why?"

"Hmm…I don't know. You're really strong…you do what has to be done, regardless of the situation." I crossed my arms over my chest as I thought about this.

"I suppose…"

"Oh, I think we're leaving now." Yuna said as she stood up. I looked down the road and saw the others walking up the path towards us. I got up and we all headed on down the road.

It wasn't long before we found Tidus, and he wasn't alone.

"Yo!" Wakka called out.

"Friend of yours?" Wakka asked as we gathered around.

"Uh, yeah…you could say that." The young Al Bhed smiled up at Wakka.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Rikku."

_But…she's an Al Bhed. Why isn't he saying anything about that?_

"Yuna, Lulu I told you about her, remember?" Tidus began as he turned to the two women.

"She was the one who helped me before I washed up on Besaid. She's an Al Bh- ahhhhhhhhhh." Tidus immediately began to cough and Wakka turned to him like nothing had happened.

_This guy is a complete moron!_

"Wow, so you like, owe her your life. What luck meeting here, ya. Praise be to Yevon." He bowed and Rikku scratched the side of her face with a finger, nervously.

"So, uh, Rikku, you look a little beat up. You okay?" He asked. Before Rikku could answer, Lulu spoke from behind him.

"Uh…Wakka."

"What?" Wakka turned to face the black mage and she crossed her arms over her chest as Yuna began to speak from beside me.

"There's something _we _need to discuss."

"Oh, go ahead." Wakka nodded. Rikku immediately ran over to where Lulu, Yuna, and I stood then turned to Wakka.

"Girls only! Boys, please wait over there." Wakka looked over at Rikku and then at us with a questioning look.

"Right. Sorry Wakka." Lulu said as she began to turn and walk off a little ways.

"Huh? What? Blah!"

Yuna, Rikku, and I followed Lulu until we were a good distance away from the others so they wouldn't be able to hear us.

"Rikku, what are you doing here?" Yuna asked softly.

"Wait, you know her?" I asked.

"Rikku is her cousin." Lulu explained.

"Yep!" Rikku beamed. Yuna clasped her hands in front of her and looked at Rikku sternly.

"Oh…right." Rikku drooped. "You see…I was the one in the machina."

"What?" Yuna gasped in surprise. Lulu glared at Rikku and I crossed my arms over my chest as Rikku began to laugh nervously.

"Heh, Heh, well I thought it was pretty funny. You should have seen the look on her face!"

"Rikku, playing around like that is dangerous. You could have been killed." Lulu scolded. Rikku hung her head, clasping her hands behind her back as she dug her toe in the dirt.

"I'm sorry."

"Does Cid know where you are?" Yuna asked and Rikku looked up.

"Yeah…"

"Where is he?"

"Yuna…" Rikku began slowly, "please take me with you." Yuna looked at her in surprise.

"What?"

"I…I want to be your guardian." Rikku stammered as she looked down at her feet again.

"But…" Yuna began.

"How old are you?" I asked and Rikku immediately looked up proudly as she replied.

"Fifteen!" I shook my head.

"Yeah…you're to young." Rikku's eyes got wide and her mouth dropped.

"I am not! I can fight! Please Yunie! Please!" Rikku exclaimed as she turned back to her cousin with a desperate look in her bright green eyes. Yuna sighed.

"I guess…but what about Wakka?" She looked over at Lulu and me worriedly.

"We'll just hope he doesn't find out that she's an Al Bhed."

"I won't tell." Rikku said immediately and Yuna finally nodded.

"Alright." Then we turned and began walking back to the others. Yuna walked towards Auron as Lulu, Rikku, and I stood and waited.

"Sir Auron, I'd like Rikku to be my guardian." Auron looked up at Yuna and then over at Rikku. He began to approach her, and as he did she suddenly looked down at the ground.

"Show me your face." Auron demanded.

"Huh?" Rikku asked, deciding to play dumb.

"Look at me." Realizing there was no way getting out of her current situation, Rikku slowly looked up but had her eyes closed.

"Open your eyes." Auron asked with slight amusement. She finally gave up and opened one of her eyes.

"As I thought."

_Well...at least Auron's not completely oblivious to her race like Wakka._

"Um…no good?"

"Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent." Rikku exclaimed, then faced the rest of us.

"So…anyway, can I?" She pleaded.

"If Yuna wishes it."

"Yes. I do." Wakka suddenly growled.

"Hey, Rikku's a good girl." Tidus defended quickly.

"Well, I'm for it!" Wakka exclaimed. "The more the merrier." Rikku nodded with a smile.

"Then I'll just have to be the merriest."

I found out real quick that Rikku was full of energy. She seemed interested in every little thing she found. A giant green leaf, an odd shaped rock, a pink eyed beetle...it was ridiculous.

_This girl is way to hyper._

_You've got to get to know someone before you judge them, Cynyr. _Ida said

_Yeah...I know._

On the plus side Rikku was a pretty good fighter for a girl her age. She proved that when we were up against some really tough fiends. She had all kinds of things up her sleeves, always surprising us with something new.

_Maybe it won't be so bad having her along._

Hours passed and we had fought off _several _fiends, and I could tell this was wearing Rikku out.

Rikku suddenly sighed.

"Phew! This is hard work."

"You just started, Rikku!" Tidus pointed out. "How can you complain already?" Rikku made a face.

"I wasn't complaining, I was just pointing out a fact." Tidus snorted.

"Sure you were." He sang. Rikku stuck her tongue out at him and then began to run ahead. The sun was slowly sinking as it went from noon to early evening and the rest of us became weary from the fighting and traveling as well. Hours later, Rikku suddenly stopped.

"Can we rest now?"

"We're almost at Guadosalm." Auron remarked as he walked past her. Rikku sighed and reluctantly continued on with the rest of us.

_I bet he said that just to shut her up. _

Thirty minutes passed and Yuna finally stopped and so did the rest of us. Lulu walked over to her and looked at her face, worriedly.

"Yuna?"

"I think…we should rest now." Wakka immediately came up and looked at her too.

"Eh, you okay?" He asked as she held a hand to her chest.

"Just tired." Auron suddenly turned and began walking up ahead and we all watched him curiously. Finally, he stopped and turned back to the rest of us.

"Over here."

We began to walk towards him and realized that over to our right was a small clearing.

_How'd he know this was here? _

We began to sit around in a circle while Tidus and Wakka went in search of firewood and Auron walked off down the road, not even mentioning where he was going.

_That's just like a man. They never tell anyone where they're going. _

That left Rikku, Lulu, Yuna, Kimahri, and I. Kimahri found some brush that he made into some sort of pallet and Yuna gratefully laid herself down on it.

"Thank you Kimahri." She whispered as she closed her eyes. _Wow, she must be really tired. _Rikku flopped down on her back next to Yuna and sighed. I watched the two for a while then began to take my armor off as I looked up in the sky to find the sun lower in the sky.

_I doubt we'll be trying to travel any farther now. _I laid my sword down on the ground beside me where I could reach it if I needed and waited in silence for the others to return.

Several quiet minutes passed and both Wakka and Tidus returned with an armload of wood. As Tidus slowly came forward, I realized his pile was so tall that he couldn't see where he was going. _Either he meant to impress Yuna or Wakka piled most of it on him. _

"Got some wood, ya." Wakka set his pile down and looked over at Yuna while Tidus stumbled and wobbled closer. I watched as he tried to see where he was going but tripped right over the wood pile that Wakka had just set down.

"Whoa!" Tidus cried out as he began to fall, dropping the wood out of his arms. Wakka turned in surprise and found Tidus sprawled on the ground with the logs scattered around him.

"SHH!" I pressed a finger to my lips. "Yuna and Rikku are asleep." I hissed. Tidus looked up over at Yuna and then at me.

"Wh- well how was to know!" He exclaimed.

"Sh!" I said again with a glare. Tidus growled in his throat and began to pick himself up off the ground. Then, the two Blitzball players began to pick up the wood as quietly as they could.

For a few seconds I just sat there watching them, but then I finally got up and began to help them clean up the mess. As we worked quietly we'd every so often look up to make sure that Yuna and Rikku were still asleep. They were sleeping pretty sound. I was surprised Tidus _hadn't _woken them with all the noise he makes.

_Maybe she's used to it._

Suddenly, I heard a twig snap from behind us and I stopped to look over my shoulder. Tidus hadn't seen me stop and was to busy looking at the ground that he rammed into my side and fell back on his butt.

"Ow, Cynyr wh-"

"Sh." I said quickly as I looked behind me at the dense foliage across from our clearing. Wakka was to busy to even notice what was going on, but Tidus stood up and looked where I was looking as well.

"It's probably just Auron coming back from taking a pee." Tidus said with a shrug. I shifted my eyes from the jungle to him before slowly turning my head to look at him. He met my gaze and saw the you-are so-dumb expression on my face and he stifled a laugh.

"I'm just saying." He said with a small laugh, then began to turn away. I looked away from him and back at the trees, but I couldn't hear or see anything else. Then, I eyed my sword that still lay on the ground where I had left it.

Carefully and quietly I went over and grabbed it from the ground, then looked back up at the jungle. _Something's not right. _I thought as inched my way carefully towards the road.

_If you're quick you can get him. _Ida advised.

Suddenly, there was a huge crash as two trees fell over and a giant fiend burst out of the thick vegetation. I took a step back, my eyes wide as I withdrew my sword immediately. The fiend looked to be at least six feet tall.

Tidus and Wakka gasped from behind me and I ran at full speed towards the fiend, my teeth clenched as I jumped up into the air.

Lifting my sword high above my head, I let gravity take me down upon the growling and snarling fiend below.

It didn't even have enough time to defend itself as I brought my sword down upon its head. There was a loud cracking sound as my blade cut through its skull and then through its brain. It cried out only once as it died instantly and began to disperse into Pyerflies. Back on the ground, I collected the gil it left behind and placed it in my pack.

Then, lifting my sword I made a face as a gooey green slime dripped off my blade. I swung the sword hard to rid it of the gunk and there was splat as it landed on a large black boot beside me.

My eyes grew wide as I looked down at the slime on the boot and heard Tidus laugh from behind me as Wakka tried to shut him up. I slowly looked up as I tried not to laugh as well.

"Oh…" I sputtered as I finally met Auron's glare.

"Oh…I'm. So. Sorry." I covered my mouth with a hand as I tried to stifle my laugh, but a few giggles escaped me.

"I didn't even see you there." I quickly got out, finding myself having to look away as I bit the inside of my cheek.

Auron growled in his throat but said nothing as he stooped down and cleaned off his boot. I quickly walked back to my spot in the clearing and sat down then looked up as Yuna slowly awoke.

"What's going on?" She asked with a small yawn. She saw our faces and then Auron's and frowned with confusion.

"What's so funny?" She asked. I shook my head as I smiled up at her.

"Nothing Yuna. Sorry we woke you." She sat there for a few more seconds, not really believing me, but seeing as we weren't going to tell her she decided to lay back down.

_That was slightly embarrassing and hilarious at the same time. _

I put my now clean sword away and made sure not to look in Auron's direction. Just in case looks _could _kill.

"Hey Auron," Tidus suddenly called, "you missed a spot." I glanced up at Tidus just as Wakka smacked him upside the head. "Shut up." Wakka said in a low voice and Lulu shook her head in dismay.

I chanced a look at Auron. He was glaring at Tidus now, but I was sure he had been glaring at me earlier.

Wakka finally got up and began to stack the wood up for a fire. Then, Lulu cast Fira upon the dry wood and it immediately lit up in flames. As I stared into the fire, lost in my own thoughts, I didn't realize the others were beginning to talk softly around me.

"Cynyr?" I looked up from the sound of my name and saw most everyone looking at me.

"What?"

"Where'd you learn to fight?" Tidus asked and I gave him a questioning look.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, who taught you? You fight pretty good for a girl."

"Ha!" I laughed before pausing to answer his question. "My family taught me." I decided to say.

In some ways that was true. The Fayth, before they sent me down to Spira, taught me how to defend myself. All the while they reminded me over and over to keep my secrets safe. I had many.

One that was the hardest to hide during the season. At times, when I was younger, it had been difficult to hide, yet somehow in the end I was able to pull it off.

_What if someone does find out? What if this year it's different? _

Although I had asked that question many times before in my earlier years…I still felt the need to be cautious. _It will be so much harder this year. This pilgrimage…I'll be surrounded by my fellow guardians almost constantly!_

_As long as you're careful... _Ida whispered.

The fire popped loudly and I glanced up to look into it again. It was growing darker now and the fire began to cast shadows that flickered and danced. I sighed softly to myself.

_Ah, what a day. _I thought. _Oh well, as least it's over now and I can go to sleep and wake up to a brand new-_

"Cynyr." I looked up, hearing my name again. Auron was standing now and he was looking at me with a stern expression on his face.

_Or not._

"You and I will have first watch."

I looked around at the others and saw Tidus snicker. I slowly began to get up with my sword in hand and walked towards Auron.

"Good luck, Cynyr." I heard Tidus mutter as I passed him. I looked over my shoulder at him and saw him smirk.

"Tidus, you're on next watch." Auron called over his shoulder. This time, I smirked as I heard Tidus sigh heavily from behind me.

"Aw, man." He grumbled.

Auron and I walked several yards away from the camp and then stopped. As I jabbed my sword into the ground in front of me I glanced about the jungle before leaning back against a tree that was behind me.

Auron decided to stand across from me against another tree, and an awkward silence immediately took over.

_Well…this sucks. _

I warily glanced up at him and realized he was staring at me like he wanted to burn holes through my skull. I sighed and looked away. _Man…I'm screwed._

* * *

><p>Bahaha! Auron got fiend slime on his shiny black boot!<p>

Stay tuned for another exciting chapter! Cause this story is only getting started. :)

Review my awesome reviewers! XD


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Original story, characters ect. go to Square while my characters and ideas stay with me.

A bit of humor, more clues to Cynyr's past, and a challenge game in this chapter.

Song: Adiemus by Karl Jenkins

* * *

><p><strong>One on One<strong>

Several minutes stretched out for what felt like hours as the awkward silence between us continued. No fiend could have sneaked passed us without being caught, it was so quiet.

I wanted to look at anything else _but _Auron, yet all I could do was stand against my tree with my arms crossed and my eyes down. _What am I suppose to say? _I swallowed, trying not to look up at Auron.

_Start with an apology. _Ida suggested.

_But this is ridiculous! It was an accident! Why is he so mad about it anyway? Geez, he sure knows how to hold a grudge! _I cleared my throat and glanced up at Auron.

"You wanna solve this over a duel?" I was slightly joking, but Auron obviously didn't think it was funny.

"Humph!" Was his only response and that awkward silence followed faithfully. I sighed in defeat.

"Listen…I'm sorry I laughed, okay. It was just…" I tried to find the right words, "it was an accident but I hadn't expected something like that to happen, so…" I trailed off and shrugged, still looking at the ground. He still didn't say anything and I became more and more guilty.

_Ugh! I hate him!_

_No you don't._

_Mom!_

"Auron…I know this seems like I've said this enough but…can you forgive him?" Auron suddenly chuckled and I looked up at him for the first time.

"It would seem so, wouldn't it?" He stated more than asked.

_This guy is really confusing me. Is he angry or is he not! _

"Even so," he began again, "you still have watch for a whole hour out here with me."

I sighed. _Figures. _

As five minutes turned to ten minutes and ten minutes turned into thirty minutes, I became bored and sleepy. I finally had to start pacing for a while to keep myself awake. I'd walk about twenty feet away from Auron one way, turn, and then walk the other way the same amount of steps. I did this for ten minutes.

"How long do you plan on doing that?" Auron asked gruffly. I stopped before him and looked up to meet his one russet eye.

"I've got to stay awake somehow."

"Can you not find something less repetitive to keep you awake?"

"Well, then what do you suggest?" I asked with a sigh as I placed a hand on one hip. Auron looked at me for a long while before answering.

"Sing."

My mouth dropped a little as my eyes got wide and I let my hand fall back to my side before crossing my arms over my chest and finally closing my mouth.

_How did he know I sang! As far as I know, I've never sung in front of anyone since Hina died. Much less sing to myself! Wait-_

"How…did you know I sang?" I asked suspiciously and Auron seemed to smile with amusement.

"I heard you. Back at D'Jose."

"So, you were spying on me?"

"No. I was passing by your room and heard you."

_Ugh!_

I grew silent and we stared at each other for several seconds before I finally spoke.

"I'm not singing." I turned a little away from him as I defiantly stood there with my arms still crossed.

"Why not?" Auron asked with amusement.

"Because I don't sing in front of others…" I trailed off, "not any more."

"And why's that?"

"Because…" I sighed heavily, "it reminds me a lot of my best friend whom I had lost six years ago." For several more seconds there was another silence between us. I heard a cricket chirp loudly from somewhere near by.

"You've sung before."

"Alone."

"What's the difference?"

"A lot." Auron chuckled at my response and I glowered over at him.

"What are you afraid of?" He suddenly asked and I turned to fully face him again.

"I'm not afraid of anything."

"Everyone's afraid of something." I tried to stand up a little taller, holding my head a little higher.

"You're not going to change my mind, so forget it."

"I wasn't trying to change anything. I was simply laying the facts out."

Unable to say anything else, I gave him one last look, spun on my heel I walked back to my post.

He had the last line. He always did.

* * *

><p>When our watch was finally over we walked back to get Tidus and Wakka. They were both asleep but they were rudely awaken by Auron as he jabbed them awake with the toe of his boot.<p>

Tidus stretched and yawned noisily as he got up.

"Tidus! Shush!" I hissed. Tidus stopped in mid "noisy yawn" and gave me a startled look. Wakka slapped his back while walking past him. "Lets get this over with, ya." He whispered groggily.

I sat down near the fire and placed my sword behind me. Then, I laid down with my arms folded underneath my head to finally sleep.

I was _almost_ asleep when I heard a shuffle from beside me and I was awake again. Keeping my eyes closed I listened for any other sounds, but when I didn't hear anything else I slowly opened one eye to look.

To my surprise, there sat Auron about a foot away from where I lay. He was looking into the flames of the fire silently. I decided not to say anything to him and closed my eyes again.

* * *

><p><em>I stood in a field of flowers with Pyerflies that shimmered and sang. All around me it was just Pyerflies and flowers, but it was peaceful.<em>

_Then, from the mist, I saw a figure coming towards me slowly. As they got closer I realized it was one of the Fayth. I couldn't tell which one they were; their face was hidden by a long hood that cast a shadow on their eyes and nose. I stood still as I watched them come forth. They were only five feet away from me when several others appeared from the mist, walking slowly towards me. All had hoods, each a different color that covered their faces._

_The first Fayth came closer and I suddenly found myself sitting in the flowers as they raised a hand towards me. I closed my eyes and I felt their hand on my shoulder. The Fayth kept their hand on my shoulder and began to circled me while the others slowly joined in, laying a hand on me as they circled me as well. Then, they began to sing the Hymn of the Fayth._

_Finally, one by one, they began to leave and when I opened my eyes I looked up and saw Ida approaching me. Her hair was long and black, her hood behind her as her piercing blue eyes met my darker one. I watched her as she came forward and then she stopped. She did not touch my shoulder or my head like the others had. She simply stood there with a small smile on her face._

_All at once I heard voices whispering from around us and I realized it was Fayth. They were all saying something to me, but I couldn't quite understand. _

_"You are human, Cynyr." Ida whispered as she knelt down to my eye level. __"Remember that." I didn't say anything, but tried to hear what the others were saying. I would catch a few words, but they meant nothing._

_"But you are also very different." She added. "You will face many dangers…some that you may not be able to get out of on your own." I stared up at Ida with wide eyes as she continued. "All the while…keep your secrets safe." I nodded and tried to open my mouth to speak but no words came. _

_"I'll always be with you, Cynyr. We're all watching over you; we're watching over everyone." I nodded again and I was suddenly able to speak. "Why did you send me back?" Ida smiled as she slowly began to stand._

_"There are things you must do that you cannot do here." She whispered. "Like what?" I asked quickly, but she was disappearing and so were the others. All their voices stopped so abruptly that it scared me. I stood up quickly and looked around me, trying to find someone. Anyone. _

_Suddenly, a shadow appeared over me and I looked up, expecting to find someone or something above me, but there was nothing._

_When I looked back down I realized that the field was no longer full of flowers, but a huge black charred up ground. Suddenly, from everywhere at once I heard a deep and dangerous laugh that echoed loudly in my ears. I covered my ears, recognizing the voice as it called my name over and over._

_A giant claw reached out to grab me._

* * *

><p>I woke with a start, my eyes wide as my heart pounded in my chest like a drum. I slowly calmed myself as I saw my familiar surroundings. The dirt ground, the burned out fire, and the jungle. I stared at the burned out fire, the logs that were now a black pile of soot. It was the same color as the field in my dream.<p>

Slowly, I began to rise from my spot on the ground. It was so early in the morning that the sun had barely come up over the horizon so the others were still asleep.

Auron was still on the other side of me, lying on the ground like a stiff board, asleep. Yuna was still on her pallet, Rikku cuddled close to her while Kimahri sat against a tree, asleep. I looked over at Wakka and was surprised to see Lulu next to him. He was also leaned against a tree. His arm was wrapped around her while she leaned against his huge chest that moved slowly as he snored.

Looking over at Tidus, I couldn't help but smile. He was sprawled on the ground like he had just been knocked out, also snoring. I rubbed my eyes as I sat up a little more then I ran a hand through my hair though my tangled hair. Quietly, I reached behind me where I had laid my stuff and took my pack that had my comb inside. I also took out a chunk of dried meat and stuck it in my mouth to suck on.

After I had combed through my hair I replaced it back in the pack and slowly stood. I looked around at the others again then down at my sword, thinking about whether or not to take it. I decided not to, considering I might make to much noise trying to pick it up.

_I'll just rely on my dagger._ I slowly and quietly picked my way around everyone, making my way towards the road.

When I was far enough away from everyone I sighed and began to think back on the dream I had just had. Finding a stump, I walked over and sat down with my chin in my hands. _That had to be a vision from Ida. She was warning me about something…and I've got a pretty good idea about what it is. _My mind went back to that moment in the field of dead flowers, the laughing, and then the claw.

_That had to be that creature from the Inn at the highroad. _

"Why is he after me, though? And what is he?" I thought aloud. _Well, he seems to be a big enough threat to the Fayth that I need to get rid of him. _

_You still have much to learn before you can defeat him. _Ida explained.

_Then what do I need to do? _

For a while, Ida didn't answer and I began to think she was going to ignore me again.

_You'll know when the time comes. _I frowned. _How will I know? Will there be a sign? _This time, I received no answer and I sighed heavily as I sat up straight and stretched my sore limbs. I finally stood up from the stump and began to pace back and forth while I hummed another song softly to myself. Slowly, they turned into words.

_Ariadiamus late ariadiamus da_

_Ari a natus late adua_

_A-ra-va-re tu-e va-te_

_A-ra-va-re tu-e va-te_

_A-ra-va-re tu-e va-te la-te-a_

_Ariadiamus late ariadiamus da_

_Ari a natus late adua_

_Ari a natus late adua_

_A-ra-va-re tu-e va-te_

_A-ra-va-re tu-e va-te_

_A-ra-va-re tu-e va-te la-te-a_

Ida used to sing this one to me as well. It was a beautiful and soothing song and she taught me how to sing it when I was twelve. When she sang it back in the Farplane the other Fayth would join in during the chorus. The melodies and many harmonies of all their voices blended perfectly.

Now, as I sang the chorus the Fayth softly joined in, their voices only heard from inside my head.

_A-na-ma-na coo-le ra- we_

_a-na-ma-na coo-le ra_

_a-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we a-ka-la…_

_a-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we a-ka-la…_

_Ah-ya-doo-ah-eh_

_a-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we a-ka-la…_

As I continued to sing the words that soothed my soul, I began to turn to look down the road I had come. My words came to a halt abruptly, though, as I stood frozen and looked on with wide eyes.

Usually, when you're caught doing something that wasn't meant be found out, you immediately become flustered and then angry. You want to say something, but you're not sure exactly what to say.

This was how I felt as I stood glaring at Auron who was leaned against a tree like he'd been standing there for hours. I crossed my arms over my chest where my heart was beating fast and furious.

"How long have you been standing there?"

Auron stood away from the tree and walked a couple of steps towards me.

"Long enough."

I scowled. _How dare he intrude and then act like it was totally normal for him to be standing there listening to me! _

"I'm sorry, I don't recall inviting you over."

Auron harrumphed.

"I came to let you know that we're about to leave." Then he turned and began to walk away. Now, I was in an awkward position. I wanted to yell at him but I didn't even know what I was suppose to yell. No words came to my mind. Instead, I growled with frustration and began to follow Auron. All the while I was trying to burn holes in the back of his head.

When we got close to the camp site I sauntered past Auron and entered the clearing just as Tidus was beginning to wake up. Everyone had been up except him.

"What time is it?" He asked as he noisily yawned and stretched.

"To early!" Rikku exclaimed as she held her head in her hands. When I had my armor on and my sword sheathed at my back we began to leave the campsite.

While we were on the road Tidus suddenly ran up beside me with a grin on his face.

"Hey, you want to make a bet?" I gave him a look, still not completely cooled off from earlier.

"On what?"

"Lets see who can kill the most fiends. Between you an me."

"Why?"

"Cause I want to beat you." I snorted at this.

"Hey, whatcha talking about?" Rikku asked as she popped up on the other side of me.

"We're going to see who can kill the most fiends. Me against Cynyr." Tidus explained.

"Wait…when did I agree to this?"

"Cool! Can I play?" Rikku asked as the two of them ignored me.

"…Um, you can be score keeper!" Tidus quickly replied.

"Okay!"

As if on que, four fiends showed up and Tidus immediately dashed forward. I sighed heavily as I hesitated a moment then finally ran up and joined Tidus. There were two growling Garms, a Simurgh, and a Basilisk. Kimahri ran up to stand on the other side of me, his spear in hand.

"Kimahri take this one!" He growled as he gestured at the Basilisk. "Do not look at third eye." He added as he ran at the slithering Basilisk and attacked it. Tidus and I went for the two Garms while Lulu shot Fira at the Simurgh.

"I'm gonna win, Cynyr!" Tidus sang as he defeated his Garm and was about to turn to the other one. Unfortunate for him, I chopped the head off of its ugly body before he could get to it.

"Don't get cocky." I said as I picked up the eighty eight gil it had left behind.

"A Garm is worth a hundred and thirty two points…so you're tied right now." Rikku explained from behind us.

"What are we betting with anyway?" I pointed out.

"Oh yeah…" Tidus muttered.

"I know." I smiled. Tidus looked up at me suspiciously.

"If I win you have to take my watch as well as your own the next time we camp out. If you win I get your watch." Tidus made a face.

"No way!"

I shrugged.

"What? Afraid I might win?" Tidus snorted.

"Hell no! You're on!"

"Good." I grinned

Minutes later we were up against a Bunyip, one Tidus sucked at fighting against, and two Bite Bugs.

"Well crap!" Tidus sighed. I laughed as I drew up next to Wakka and Auron. Wakka hit the Bite Bugs while Auron and I attacked the Bunyip. Wakka was attacked by one of the Bite Bugs and Yuna immediately healed him.

"You do realize that if Auron defeats it first, you don't get any points, right?" Tidus called out from behind me.

"Oh, is Auron playing to?" I teased and Auron Harrumphed.

"I don't play such foolish games." I looked over my shoulder at Tidus who made a face at Auron and we both smiled.

Turning back, I ran at the weakened fiend and gave it my best swing. Almost instantly it vanished into a cloud of Pyerflies. I lifted my sword up on my shoulder and looked over at Tidus.

"Ha!"

Tidus crossed his arms. "Yeah, we'll see about that."

"Cynyr's got two hundred and seventy seven points!" Rikku exclaimed.

"How much was that one?" Yuna asked with a smile.

"A hundred and forty five." Rikku replied with a smile as we started back down the road.

"Who do you think will win, Yuna?" Tidus asked suddenly.

"Oh, I don't think I should choose sides." Yuna said quickly.

"I think you're going to lose, Tidus." Wakka said from the front and Tidus turned in surprise.

"What!" Wakka began to laugh.

"I'll root for you, Tidus!" Rikku exclaimed.

"Gee, thanks."

Two hours passed and I had five hundred and fifty four points while Tidus had four hundred and twenty two.

"You're losing Tidus." I teased.

"I know!" Tidus exclaimed and I began to laugh as Wakka joined it.

"Do you want me to let you have one of the Garms next time?"

"Don't you dare try to go easy on me." Tidus said with crossed arms.

"Looks like someone's pride is hurt." Wakka laughed.

"Shut up Wakka."

"I say you two have a one on one match." Wakka suggested. Tidus looked from Wakka to me and hummed in thought.

"We don't have time for that." Auron said quickly and we all stopped.

"Well why not?" I began, "Tidus just might learn a thing or two about fighting." I smiled but Tidus scoffed.

"Don't get cocky, Cynyr! I can beat you one on one."

"Prove it." I retorted.

"Go Tidus!" Rikku exclaimed and I looked over at Auron.

He did _not _look pleased. Then, Yuna stepped up.

"Lets see what you can do." She spoke to the both of us and I smirked over at Tidus who glared at me with determination. Everyone stepped back to form a huge circle around us and I withdrew my sword.

"I'll let you go first." I offered. Tidus hesitated a moment, then lifted his sword and came at me.

* * *

><p>Oooo who's gonna win the sword fight?<p>

The fiend names and points; I got them from websites that I wish I could put up here but for some reason they won't show up. :/ Oh well, it's not hard to look it up. Just search something like: Final Fantasy fiends.

Anyways, hope this chapter was just as exciting and fun. :) Next chapter coming up soon! And it'll be more exciting than this one. :)

Click the review button to get a cookie.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Cynyr is MINE! Plus other stuff I've added. The rest goes to Square.

Sorry it's taken so long to upload, but my internet here at the house has been down and I haven't been able to do anything but work on more chapters. But anyway, to make it up to you guys I will post up at least three chapters

Plus, this one is an exciting chapter. :)

Peace.

* * *

><p><strong>The Dark is a lot Scarier than You Think<strong>

Tidus swung hard and his sword whistled through the air as he stumbled forward and gasped in surprise. I had sidestepped him in one quick motion, causing him to fly past me.

He spun around with a surprised look on his face, then, he furrowed his brows and came at me again. Running at full speed he lifted his sword and just as he was about to swing I lifted mine and pushed him back.

Wakka immediately began to laugh.

"Stop fooling around, Cynyr." Tidus exclaimed.

I grinned.

"Come at me again, then." Tidus gripped his sword much tighter and immediately charged at me. _Clang! _Our swords clashed together and as he swung to hit me on the other side I followed suit.

_Clang! _Now, we began to swing our swords over and over at each other, the sound of metal against metal ringing through the air.

I could tell that Tidus was becoming frustrated as this went on, so he swung at my legs. I quickly jumped over his blade before giving him a heavy blow that he was barely able to block.

"Go Tidus!" Rikku called out as she clapped her hands.

"You better watch out, ya. She's gonna blow you away." Wakka laughed again. Tidus grit his teeth and growled in his throat as he continued to hit my sword, faster and harder. I blocked each of his blows.

Finally, he jumped back and took a minute to rest. He was breathing heavily and sweating from all the effort. I, to, was breathing just as heavily.

"You want to quit?" I asked. He gripped his sword with both hands and laughed.

"No way!" I smiled and charged at him, which he hadn't expected and I swung at his head. He ducked and aimed for my torso. I immediately leaned back until my back was parallel to the ground while his sword whistled above me.

"That was awesome!" Rikku exclaimed.

"Huh, she is pretty good." Lulu commented.

When I came back up I quickly swung at Tidus who clashed his sword against mine. With muscles tensed, we stood with our blades crossed as we tried to push the other back. Unfortunately, my sword slipped and as he continued to push down on me, I fell on my back in the dirt.

A few of the others gasped with excitement as Tidus looked down at me with a smirk.

He swung his blade again and I brought my sword up just in time to block. Then, before he could give me another hit I swung my legs hard against his ankles. This caused him to fall sideways as he cried out in surprise. Now, he was on the ground and I was standing.

"Come on Tidus!" Wakka shouted and Tidus immediately jumped to his feet and attacked me again. As my sword clashed with his I rotated my wrist, my sword following, then I snapped my wrist up.

In an instant, Tidus's sword was flung from his grasp and flipped through the air, loudly, with a _whoop, whoop, whoop, _then sunk into the earth behind me. I pointed my sword at his chest and he slowly raised his hands in surrender, his face written with awe.

"Haha! Tidus you just got beat by a girl, ya!"

"Nicely done." Lulu commented

"That was super duper!" Rikku exclaimed. I smiled at Tidus and put my sword away as he went to fetch his.

"I bet you couldn't have done better, Wakka!" Tidus called back at him. Wakka laughed a short laugh.

"Ha! Better than you- that's for sure!" The he stopped laughing as I looked over at him.

"Okay, lets see you do better." I challenged. Wakka crossed and then uncrossed his arms nervously.

"Well…uh-"

"Well, go on Wakka," Lulu nudged him in the ribs, "prove your words worthy." Wakka sighed and then shrugged.

"Oh, alright."

Tidus smiled and handed his sword to Wakka who stood up to the front and I nodded.

"You first."

Wakka shrugged and charged towards me, swinging the blade up near my head. I raised my sword and met his with a loud c_lang! _He swung down near my legs. _Clang! _Now, he began to hit me faster and much harder. I was able to block most of them, but I was growing tired from the first fight so my blade was little slow.

"I'm winning." Wakka teased as he hit my sword again. I smiled.

"We'll see."

Several minutes later I managed to pull the same stunt off on him like before with Tidus.

"I actually expected you to avoid that little trick of mine." I said as I breathed heavily and wiped my brow. Wakka went to fetch Tidus's sword.

"Well…I was trying to…but," He began to laugh to himself, "as much as I hate to admit, you're really good." I smiled as I began to put away my sword.

"Thanks."

"Well," Rikku began with a sigh, "all's well that ends well." We were all turning back to the road when we heard another sword being withdrawn. We all looked in surprise.

"Not yet."

I raised a brow as I looked up at Auron skeptically.

"Seriously?" Wakka asked.

"I thought we _didn't have time for this_, Auron?" I mocked.

"Humph. I've changed my mind."

I grinned as I began to withdraw my sword again, despite the fact that I tired.

"I accept your challenge…sir Auron."

He chuckled at my tone of voice.

"Getting cocky already?"

"I beat two men already. Why not?" I said with a shrug.

"Humph."

"Like always…you go first." I said with a wave of my hand. Auron laughed as he held his hand out in a gesturing manner.

"Ladies first."

Wakka and Tidus immediately laughed and I hesitated a moment.

"Alright." I finally replied. Then, I charged at Auron. His blade came crashing down on mine and, aside from his arm, he didn't even move a muscle. I grit my teeth as I pressed as hard as I could against his sword, but his blade was much bigger than mine and he was much stronger than me.

_I guess I underestimated him. _

Finally, Auron pushed me back , but I didn't stray for long. I charged at him yet again. This time I swung furiously at his sword and each time his would follow suit, pushing me back all the while.

"You're losing, Cynyr!" Tidus shouted from the side lines.

I grunted from the effort then purposefully slid my sword against his as I spun around him and tried to take another hit. _Clang! _His blade hit mine faithfully and I began to hit him harder, trying to back him up like he had done to me. For a little while I had him taking a few steps back, but then he advanced with several of his own blows that I was barely able to block.

"Loser!" Tidus shouted. I ignored him. I couldn't lose focus. Again and again Auron hit my sword with great force, pushing me back all the time.

"Come on, Cynyr!" Rikku exclaimed, but I had lost focus. Auron suddenly swung his blade in an upward motion, very close to my ear. This startled me instantly and I made the mistake of loosening my grip on my sword. Auron immediately knocked it out of my hands, causing it to fly several yards away from me, but he didn't stop there.

He pushed me hard up against a tree I hadn't known was behind me and held his sword up against my neck. I looked up at him in shock as the others marveled over what had just happened.

Slowly, I smiled.

"You never did strike me as a gentleman." I said between breaths as my heart thumped inside my chest. Then, to my surprise, he smiled back.

Auron finally drew away from me and sheathed his sword as I went to fetch mine.

"I _will _say," Auron began and the others slowly quieted, "You're a pretty good fighter for a girl." I laughed.

"Thanks…I guess."

Later we decided to take a rest as everyone noticed how tired Wakka, Tidus, and I were. We sat and drank from our canteens and ate a bit of dried meat and talked for a while. We didn't rest for long though. We were back on the road in thirty minutes.

"So, do I still have you're watch?" Tidus asked me as he walked up to me. I was about to answer when we stopped abruptly. Auron quickly silenced us.

"What is it?" Wakka whispered.

"A fiend."

"Where is it?" Tidus asked.

"It's Ochu…he's camouflaged." Auron replied as he took a small step forward. We also took a small step forward, and then I could see it.

The giant creature was tucked away in the thick vegetation on the right, his four long arms wrapped around trees beside him as his large body sat snuggly between them.

"He's asleep." Auron informed.

_If you're quiet you can sneak past it without having to fight it. _Ida suggested.

"We should-" I began but was suddenly interrupted by Rikku.

"Well, lets go wake it!" She shouted loudly as she sprinted forward towards the beast, which slowly began to awaken and growl.

"No!" Both Wakka and Tidus shouted, as if this would magically stop Rikku and cause Ochu to fall back asleep. Most of us groaned with frustration then we began to run towards the beast as well.

The trees groaned and the branches scrapped against one another as Ochu let go of the trunks and let his arms drop to the ground. Twigs snapped and leaves rustled loudly as it slowly lumbered out of the brush and towards us.

We stood before him as his shadow cast over all of us and he began to growl loudly.

"Whoa," Wakka breathed, "this is a big one." Ochu reached out towards Rikku and roared as Rikku jumped over the long tentacle and attacked it.

"Take that you big bully!" She exclaimed.

Auron raced forward and slashed at the main part of the body. This wounded it greatly and it roared in pain again. I winced from the noise then charged towards it as well. It saw me and swung an arm at me that I quickly cut off with my sword. It screamed as the detached arm withered on the ground then dispersed into Pyerflies.

I quickly ran back to my spot before it could throw another arm at me.

"Watch out, ya!" Wakka called as he threw his Blitzball hard at the center of the beast. It immediately swung one of its arm at Wakka and hit him in the side. This caused Wakka to groan in pain as he fell to the ground. Yuna quickly healed him and Kimahri took his place.

Ochu swung out at us again. Kimahri, Tidus, and I quickly jumped over his arm like jump rope and then attacked.

"Be careful!" Auron called out as he ran up and swung his sword at the fiend again. It cried out in pain again and Lulu began to cast Fira. I dashed forward this time, swung, and hit the main body. I was running back when Tidus called out to me, but one of the arms hit me hard in the back and I was on the ground with the breath knocked out of me.

Yuna!" Wakka called out and I felt the soothing feeling of Cura rush over me as she healed my bruised body. I slowly got up and then quickly made it back to my place in line.

After Tidus gave Ochu a hit, I decided to run at it again despite how weak I felt.

"Hey!" Wakka shouted and I looked up to see one of its arms swinging down at me. I ducked quickly and felt the wind rush by as it passed over me. Then, I stood and stabbed the fiend. It cried out again and I took the opportunity to run back to my place.

"Are you okay?" Lulu asked from beside me. I was breathing heavily.

"Maybe you should switch with someone." Tidus suggested. I shook my head.

"No. I'm fine. Really."

One more round of hits from the others and I was dashing at it again. Before reaching Ochu, I jumped up and then let myself fall on top of it as I let my sword sink into its flesh. I barely had enough time to jump off him with my sword as his arm swung around to hit me.

I was running back to my place in the line when I suddenly heard a voice rumble very close to my ear. A _very _familiar voice I had once heard before.

"Don't get hit Cynyr." I spun around to find the source of the voice but immediately regretted it as something heavy hit me hard in the back of the head.

I felt my body fall on the ground and then I heard voices, but what was loudest of all was the deep voice that laughed loudly inside my aching skull.

* * *

><p>When I awoke I had a splitting headache, and when I tried to open my eyes a sharp pain surged behind them. I moaned as I left my eyes closed then, I heard someone kneel down beside me. They laid a hand on my forehead and Cura washed over me, subsiding the headache.<p>

"Is she okay?" I heard someone ask.

"We won't know until she wakes."

"There was a lot of blood, ya."

Then the voices slowly faded and all was silent. The second time I woke I could tell, even with my eyes closed, that it was dark.

_Is it the same day? The next day? Where are we? _My entire body felt like a huge bruise and my head still hurt, but it wasn't as bad as it had been earlier. I decided to try to open my eyes again.

I felt a dull pain behind them, but it was bearable. The first thing I saw was black. I tried to look around, but I kept seeing darkness. I was lying on the ground and I could hear voices coming from the right of me.

Slowly, I began to sit up. _It must be the middle of the night! Then…why is everyone awake? Wait- they haven't stayed up just for me! _

"Yo, Cynyr." I heard Wakka call to me and I turned my head in his direction. "You're awake!" Yuna exclaimed as she walked over to me and sat right in front of me.

_Why haven't my eyes adjusted to the dark? I should at least be able to see her outline. _

"Yuna…" I began softly, but she didn't hear me.

"Does your head still hurt?"

"A little."

I felt her hand on my forehead like last time and she began to whisper under her breath. I felt the Cura wash over my aching body and the headache faded.

"There."

She took her hand away from me and I stared into the darkness, hoping I was looking at her.

"Man, you really got knocked out back there, ya." Wakka commented.

"What time is it?" I asked slowly.

"I'd say it's about three." Rikku replied.

"At night?" I asked with surprise, but everyone suddenly became silent.

"Um…Cynyr…it's the afternoon." Yuna said softly. She was still sitting in front of me and I felt my heart skip a beat.

_No…the afternoon? No, it can't be…it's to dark! I've got to be dreaming! This isn't true! _Panic was slowly rising inside my chest.

"But…it's dark." I finally choked out, my heart beating fast an hard. Yuna seemed to turn and the others, still silent, and seemed to be deciding on what to say.

"Cynyr…" I heard Lulu say towards my right, "can you not see us?" I slowly shook my head and I heard Rikku gasp.

"You're blind?"

"I bet when she was hit in the back of the head it damaged the part of the brain that controls her eye sight." Wakka explained. I started to chew on my bottom lip as I found the darkness more and more frightening.

_I'm blind? I'm blind…I'm blind. _

I kept repeating in my head, then I quickly shut my eyes and grabbed my head with both of my hands. _It's not true! It's not!_ I squeezed my eyes shut as tightly as I could. _When I open them I'll see again! The darkness will fade! _Then, I slowly opened my eyes, willing myself to see but I met darkness once again.

"It might be temporary." Auron suddenly said from afar.

"Really?" Tidus asked.

"Then there's hope!" Rikku chimmed in.

_But what if it's not? _

"And what if it's not?" Lulu spoke my thoughts, but no one answered. I felt tears well up in my eyes and I quickly rubbed them away.

_No! I can't cry! I can't._

"So…what do we do now?" Tidus asked the question everyone was thinking.

"She can still fight." I rose my head at the sound of Auron's voice.

_No, I can't! I'm blind! There's no way! I'm blind…I'm blind…_ I could tell I was about to lose it.

"How?" Wakka, Tidus, and Rikku asked in unison.

"She'll learn to use her ears instead of her eyes." Auron began to explain. "It'll take some time…but if she really wishes to be Yuna's guardian and wants to continue on this Pilgrimage, then she needs to have faith in herself."

"Who's gonna teach her how to fight again?" Tidus pointed out.

"I will." Auron replied.

"Oh." Tidus paused. "Can I watch?" Auron harrumphed.

"No. You'll only distract her."

Tidus was most likely making a face at Auron, but I wouldn't know. I was blind.

_What if Yuna doesn't want me to be her guardian anymore? Even if I do learn how to fight…I'll most likely slow everyone down. They'll leave me somewhere one day…walk away and never come back…and I won't even know. _

"Cynyr." Yuna was saying my name again and I turned in her direction.

"Will you try?" She sounded hopeful which gave me a little hope as well, that maybe she didn't think of me useless entirely.

"I…I guess."

"Do you want to fight or not?" Auron asked. He wanted a straight answer. I turned my head in his direction and finally nodded.

"Yes."

Yuna sighed with relief and smiled. "Good."

I only gave her a half smile and then slowly stood. Thankfully, I still had my armor on and my sword was lying beside me, so I picked it up. The hard part was walking to where ever Auron was.

I suddenly felt Yuna take my arm as she stood up as well. I bit my lip as I felt as though I were a crippled and had to have help _just _to walk from point A to point B. It was probably only a few yards away to.

Nonetheless, I walked with Yuna to where Auron stood and kept my head down as I felt everyone's eyes on me.

"Follow me." Auron said while turning. I heard his footsteps receding and I quickly caught up with him as I prayed that I wouldn't trip and fall on my face like an idiot.

_To think that I had been fighting against Tidus, Wakka, and Auron only hours ago…and now…I'm a useless guardian to Yuna. There's no way I can fight._

I stumbled once and quickly righted myself as I continued down the road with Auron. I wasn't sure where we were going and I tried to imagine my surroundings.

"Auron…where are we going?" I asked finally, but he didn't answer me. I could hear his footsteps, which was the only thing that assured me that he was in front of me.

_What if he's taking me far, far away from everyone just to leave me so that they can continue on without me? _I frowned and mentally shook the thought from my head. _No, Auron- none of my friends would do that to me._

Suddenly, I rammed right into Auron and gasped as I fell hard on my butt. He had apparently stopped and I was to busy thinking badly of him to notice. I felt my face heat up as he turned and was most likely glaring down at me.

"We'll train here."

Then, he began to walk away, acting oblivious to my blunder and I slowly began to stand back up._Where did he go? _I heard a rustle then a twig snap. I immediately grabbed the hilt of my sword as I began to think that there was a fiend around.

"Calm down. It's just me." Auron remarked as he walked back. Embarrassed, I dropped my hand and waited for Auron to instruct me.

"Because you've lost your sight your other senses will immediately start to kick in." He began to explain. "You'll be able to hear things that the rest of us won't be able to pick up on quite so easily. You should take that as I great advantage." I remained silent.

"Your hands can also be your eyes." Auron added, then, there was a small thud as something hit the ground beside me. I tilted my head in that direction.

"Take a guess." I bit my lip and remained quiet for several seconds.

"A rock?"

"Is it?" This caused me to become unsure. I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to it.

"Pick it up."

I paused a moment as I tried to remember where the rock had landed, then, I slowly took a step towards it, then another before finally crouching down. I reached out with a hand and began to feel the ground for the rock.

_This is ridiculous. Why is he making me do this?_

Suddenly, my fingers brushed up against it and I quickly picked it up and stood. Auron immediately threw another object and I listened as it made a softer sound in the dirt. I knew Auron was waiting for me to answer what it was, but it took me a while to figure it out.

"A stick?"

"Now, pick it up."

The stick was a little farther away from me than the rock, so I had to take several more steps in that direction to pick it up. When I finally had the stick in hand I stood and looked in Auron's direction.

"What's this suppose to do?"

"It helps you to recognize certain sounds. Plus, if you were to drop your sword you would need to know where it was by the sound it makes." I placed my hands on my hips and glared in Auron's direction.

"So what are you going to throw now? A feather?"

Auron ignored my rude remark and I heard the sound of metal rubbing against metal. Auron didn't even need to ask.

"Your sword." Then there was a thunking sound and it took me a moment to recognize the sound.

"You stuck your sword in the ground."

Finally, there was a thud, several feet away from me and before I could say anything, Auron began to speak.

"Go pick it up."

Slowly, I moved towards the place I had heard the sound and when I thought I was close enough, I crouched down and reached a hand out. I began to feel the ground for the sword, carefully and slowly as I prayed I wouldn't cut myself on the blade.

Then, my fingers brushed against the cool metal and I slowly moved my hand up as I tried to imagine what the sword looked like.

My fingers brushed over the raised decoration and then the hilt. I wrapped my fingers around it and began to lift it. It was a lot heavier than I thought it would be so I had to use both my hands. Not only that, the blade was at least a foot taller than me so it took a lot of effort to carry it back to Auron.

"Humph. At least you can lift it. Most people can't."

I wasn't quite sure if that was compliment of not, but I did know that his next words weren't.

"You're too slow. Let me see your sword."

I sighed and withdrew my blade. He took it, and while I stood there in front of him I heard him toss it several feet away, behind me.

He didn't have to say anything. I turned and walked a little faster, bent down and tried to feel for the sword. When my fingers finally grasped the hilt I lifted it and turned to face Auron for his judgment.

"Still too slow."

I stabbed the ground with the sword and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Auron I'm-

"If you were being chased by a fiend you'd be looking for that thing like it was your life. In some ways it is, because it can _save_ your life." Auron explained. I sighed in defeat and Auron walked up to take my sword.

He threw it in a different direction and I immediately went after it. To my surprise I found it a lot quicker and turned back to Auron as I held my sword.

"That was better."

So, I sheathed my sword and he began to walk away. I listened as his footsteps got farther away from me and then he stopped.

"Walk to me." He instructed and I hesitated a moment. Then, I began to shuffle towards him on the uneven ground.

"Don't shuffle." Auron said sternly. I paused for a moment then began to pick my feet up carefully and slowly as I made my way towards him.

I couldn't tell how far away he was and for a while I began to think I was never going to reach him. I lifted my hands up in front of me as I hoped I might bump into him with my hands first.

_He better not be walking backwards while I'm trying to find him like this! _

Suddenly, my hands touched his. He had them out in front of him and he ever so slightly grasped my fingers.

"Too slow. Go back and do it again." I lowered my hands and glowered at him.

"Go back." He said more sternly and I turned on my heel to walk a good distance away from him. This time I walked a little faster and even stumbled twice on my way there.

"Mmm…better." Auron commented when my hands touched his for the second time. Then, he stepped back and withdrew his sword and asked me to do the same.

"Why? What are we doing?" I asked as I slowly withdrew mine.

"Walk six paces from me." Auron instructed. I decided to do as he said and walked six paces.

"Now. Run at me and hit my sword." My eyes widened in surprise.

"What- but what if I hit you?"

"You won't"

For several seconds I remained standing, more than a little uncertain about hitting him.

_What if I fall or something? _

"I haven't all day. Hit me." Auron spoke harshly and I furrowed my brows as I became a little angry with him. So, I lifted my sword and began to run towards him. I made sure to count out the six paces and then swung on the fifth step.

_Clang!_ That sound brought a smile to my face.

"Humph. Ten paces." Auron instructed, so I turned and walked ten. I ran towards him.

_Clang!_

"Fifteen."

_Clang! _

"Twenty."

"Twenty? But Auron-"

"Twenty-three. Don't argue with me."

I scowled at him before turning around and walking the distance he had asked. I lifted my sword and ran at him again. When I swung at the last second, I had swung to late so, when my sword met his it slipped off his blade and I began to fall forward.

I gasped in surprise, but before I could hit the ground he grabbed my shoulders and I stood up straight. My heart raced inside my chest.

"Do it again." Was all Auron said. I did this over and over again until I was able to run awithout stumbling and I could hit his sword without hesitation.

"Hit like you were about to kill me." Auron would say, and finally I got so irritated with him that I_ did _hit his sword like I wanted to kill him.

As I was catching my breath I heard Auron walk past me and on down the road.

"Now, I'm going to run at you."

"W-what! Are you sure about that?"

"If I wasn't I wouldn't have said it." Auron remarked and I heard him stop where I had once stood. Reluctantly, I held my sword up and braced myself for his attack. Without warning he ran towards me and I held my sword up a little higher.

Just as he was reaching me I suddenly panicked. I immediately ducked as he swung at me, his sword whistling loudly from above my head.

"No, no, no, no…that was too close." I exclaimed as I slowly stood back up. I clutched my head like it had almost been knocked off my shoulders. Auron sighed as he hefted his large sword up on one shoulder.

"If you want to fight again you're going to have to do everything I tell you."

"But- you were- I was just-" I stammered as I tried to find the right words.

"Cynyr, do you trust me?" Auron asked suddenly and I became quiet before answering him slowly.

"…Y-yes."

"Humph." I heard him put his sword away so I did the same.

"Turn around." He instructed.

"Why-"

"Don't ask questions. Turn around." I sighed and finally turned my back on him. I heard him walk up behind me and then stop.

"Fall back."

"What?"

"I'm right behind you."

"How do I know you'll catch me?"

"By relying on your trust for me." I grew silent as I stood there for several seconds in uncertainty. Then, I crossed my arms in an "X" fashion and slowly, I let myself fall back. Gravity took over and brought me down faster. My stomach flipped with a sickening feeling and I gasped.

"Auron!"

I felt his hands grab hold of my waist and my hands flew down to grasp them. I slowly began to stand up straighter and heard him chuckled with amusement.

"Do you trust me now." He let go of me and I turned to face him.

"I suppose…"

"Then, we'll try this again."

With that, Auron walked back to the place he had started before. He stopped. I pulled out my sword. He ran. I lifted my sword.

_Clang!_

* * *

><p>So, I wasn't sure whether or not to have her blind yet in the story, but then after much brain storming I found no other better way to blind her.<p>

Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thought it was exciting and suspenseful. :)

Review to get brownie. :P


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Square owns everything except my characters and stuff I've put in it.

Whoop whoop! Another exciting chapter everyone! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Challenges<strong>

As the three men circled me slowly and quietly I listened carefully to their footsteps, trying to choose which one to hit first. Auron took me back out with Tidus and Wakka the next day after my first challenge, and now he was making it harder.

He explained to me that my next challenge was to run at one of them and fight them, then I would need to guess who it was I was fighting.

_I don't see how this will help me either! _

Hearing louder footsteps to my right I turned and charged at them, my sword raised. _Clang! _I hesitated and then swung again. _Clang! _I swung again and again, getting the hang of it when I finally pushed the person back, clumsily.

"Tidus."

Wakka immediately began to laugh.

"Wha- how'd you know it was me?" Tidus stammered in a high pitched voice.

"It's cause you're clumsy, ya!"

"Wakka, Tidus!" Auron shouted sternly and they both quickly shut up as I smiled with amusement. This time, I went for Wakka. Even though I had heard him from where he was standing, he and Tidus had moved switched places several times. This confused me, but it wasn't for long.

When hearing footsteps that were louder than the others I knew right then that it was Tidus. So, I searched for Wakka. He was a little harder to find, but when I got close enough I swung out at him.

He brought his sword up and with a clang our blades clashed. This time I didn't hesitate so much and began hitting his sword multiple times.

He hit me just as hard as he blocked my blows and gave a couple of them back. At one point his blade swung too fast for me to block and I quickly ducked and backed away.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed. "S-sorry." I quickly apologized, then I heard someone sigh.

"Lets try something different." Auron said from behind me. I would have retorted something back, but he quickly began to speak before I could.

"One of us will run at you and you're going to have to block us." I licked at my lips and tilted my head as I heard the others walking away with Auron.

"You can handle it." Auron added. I stood, braced, with my sword and waited for the first attacker.

He came running towards me and didn't even hesitate as he swung hard in my direction. I quickly blocked him and swung my sword to the right. His sword followed and there was a loud and reassuring clang.

I swung again and again and he blocked each of my blows. Now, he began to advance on me, his heavy sword pushing down against mine as I barely blocked him.

"Auron!" I gasped out in a pleading voice

"You're hesitating again."

I gripped my sword tighter and I began to swing at him a lot harder and faster. He blocked each of them and began to push me back.

"Swing your sword faster!" Auron said gruffly. I cried out as I swung with all I had at his sword and felt my arms sting from the impact, but I kept hitting him. The sound of our swords rang in my ears, filling the air like explosions.

Finally, out of breath and weak, I stopped and leaned against my sword.

"Don't you think you're pushing her to hard, ya?" Wakka asked slowly.

"Yeah, she's doing the best she can." Tidus added.

"We don't have that much time. She needs to push all her fears aside and concentrate on what she _needs _to do."

"Well...okay." Wakka muttered and Auron turned back to me.

"Take a break. We're not done yet."

With that Auron began to walk away.

"You two. Follow me." Then, I heard Wakka and Tidus follow him. I decided to sit down where I stood and drank some water from the canteen I had. It was running low.

Several minutes later Auron returned, but alone. I turned my head in his direction then stood up.

"Follow me." Was all he said as he began to walk past me and on down the road. I quickly grabbed my sword and sheathed it before running after him.

"Where are we going?" I asked curiously.

"You'll see."

I decided not to ask any more questions and continued to walk behind him as he led me some place I didn't know. Then, Auron stopped and I came close to ramming into him like last time.

"Wait."

I walked around to stand beside him.

"What?"

Then I heard it. A loud hiss came from the road ahead of us. My heart beat fast inside my chest as Auron withdrew his sword and commanded I stand back.

"A Basilisk."

Auron spoke quietly and I heard him take several slow steps forward. I took a small step forward then stopped as I hesitated. I didn't know what to do.

_Should I run? Should I help? _I mentally shook my head. _No. I need to stay put. _

Suddenly, I heard Auron run towards the fiend and attack it. The Basilisk hissed loudly and began to attack Auron, but from the sound of him sword ringing, I guessed he wasn't hurt. Now, I waited for him to attack.

I heard his sword and sighed softly to myself in relief. Suddenly, from within the jungle on my left there was a low and dangerous growl. I jumped and stepped away quickly with my hand at the hilt of my sword.

_What was that? Is it a Garm? A Bunyip? _

Without warning, the fiend jumped from the bushes and I quickly withdrew my sword just in time to hear it clang dully against its teeth. It had grabbed my blade with its mouth but it immediately let go when my sharp blade cut the edges of its began to whimper and growl as it slowly paced around me and I held my sword up at the ready.

All the while, from afar, I could still hear Auron trying to beat the Basilisk down. _It'll be just my luck that I'll defeat this thing all by myself and Auron won't even see it happen! _

The Garm suddenly snarled and leapt up at me again. I quickly raised my blade and swung it in an arch then heard it slash through the Garm's flesh. It howled in pain and I jumped back to give myself space away from it. Still, it persisted to come after me even with it wounded badly.

As it continued to growl and circle me, I slowly followed and waited for the Garm to attack. After a minute passed I grew tired of waiting and charged at it.

For a moment it just stood there, like a dummy, as if surprised I was coming after it. When it realized it needed to attack back, it was too late. I swung my sword at its head, horizontally, and heard the sickening sound of it falling off its shoulders.

My heart was racing in my chest as I heard the Pyerflies take flight into the sky and I was about to sheath my sword when I heard something snap from behind me. I caught my breath in my throat and spun around as I swung my sword out but I was too late.

I gasped as I was knocked to the ground by another Garm, my sword flying several feet away from me. It sttod on top of me growling and snapping and I cried out as I pulled my arms up over my face. Finally, I was able kick the ugly dog in the gut, causing it to roll off me.

I hadn't kicked it far, though, and I was only half way off the ground when it came at me again. I remembered that my sword was knocked out of my grasp and I desprately tried to recall its sound when it had hit the ground.

_Left? Right? No…I don''t remember! _Suddenly, I felt sharp teeth sink into my arm and I cried out in pain as I instinctively punched the creature in the face.

This, surprisingly, made him jump away and I scrambled to my feet as I ignored the pain in my arm and the blood. Then, I stumbled and realized I had tripped over my sword. Hearing the Garm growl again, I quickly picked it up and ran a few feet away from the fiend before letting it come after me.

It snarled loudly in the darkness that was all I could see and it heard it jump at me. I gasped and swung my sword hard in its direction. The blade cut through skin and blood spurted as the fiend howled in pain. Despite its pain it jumped at me again.

This time I ran towards it with the point of my sword pointed at the fiend. In an instant the blade stabbed through its body and it died immediately on my blade before turning into Pyerflies.

Breathing heavily, with my arm still bleeding, I realized that I could no longer hear Auron's attacks on the Basilisk. I turned in the direction Auron had been when I suddenly heard clapping from behind me. I spun back around in surprise.

"That was awesome, Cynyr!" Rikku's voice called out to me.

"Thought I was gonna have to come over there and kill it myself, ya."

"We all had faith in you, Cynyr." Lulu said.

"I knew you could do it!" Yuna exclaimed and all at once everyone had surrounded me.

"You were standing there the whole time and just watched!" I exclaimed with a bit of frustration.

"But hey, you killed them didn't you?" Tidus pointed out quickly.

"And you proved that you can fight without your eyes, ya." Wakka added.

"You've also prooved to me," Yuna began, "that you are still a worthy guardian on this Pilgrimage." I turned to face her and everyone quieted as I put my sword away and then crossed my arms.

"Why do I feel like this was planned?" I accused, but I was no longer as angry.

"Because it was." Auron remarked from behind me.

"Well…" I sighed as I let my arms drop, "I hate to admit it but...I'm glad you did."

"You still need more practice." Auron remarked quickly, but I ignored him.

"I'm really glad you didn't give up on me, guys." I said with a smile.

"Aw!" Rikku exclaimed as she ran up and wrapped her arms around my waist. I took an uneasy step back, but then smiled.

"We're all friends. So, we help one another out, ya." Wakka said with a matter-of-fact. I smiled up at him and Rikku finally stopped hugging me.

"Thanks guys. And thank you…Auron." I turned my head in Auron's direction.

"You're welcome."

"Oh, your arm!" Yuna suddenly exclaimed, and she ran up to lay and hand upon my arm. I opened my mouth to speak but then decided against. I heard her whisper softly to herself followed by the peaceful feeling that rushed through my body and healed the wound.

"Thanks, Yuna." I said when she had finished.

"I think this calls for a group hug!" Tidus exclaimed suddenly. Wakka began to laugh and Lulu chuckled from beside him, but Rikku cheered with agreement. I smiled with amusement but was taken aback when Rikku, Tidus, and Yuna hugged me all at once. I couldn't help but laugh and hug them back.

"Ah, what the heck!" Wakka exclaimed and walked over to hug me as well. Surprisingly, Lulu followed suit, but Kimahri and Auron didn't.

"Kimahri won't hug, Cynyr. Kimahri might squish Cynyr." Kimahri growled from behind the others as they slowly began to back away.

"So, Kimahri give smile." I began to laugh and the others slowly joined in, but I nodded in Kimahri's direction and smiled back.

"Thank you, Kimahri."

Finally, Auron began to walk away and we soon followed with smiles on our faces and lifted spirits.

_This is amazing! I have friends who truly care_ _about me and who have faith in me...even when I had little fo_r _myself._

* * *

><p>When we finally reached Guadosalm it grew a lot quieter and it felt rather eerie. Our footsteps echoed throughout the place like we were in a huge spacious room, and for a long time it felt as though we were the only ones on the streets. It was cool and dank and smelled like dirt and wood.<p>

_Where is this place? _I turned to Tidus who was walking beside me, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What does it look like?" I whispered, feeling like we were in a library because it was so quiet. Tidus turned his head and slowly tried to explain.

"Well…the place it like a giant tree…and it's blue. It's real spacous and there are few people walking around." I heard him shrug and then say, "in my opinion it's really creepy in here." I just nodded, not really getting much of an image in my head, but it didn't matter. I was just glad we wouldn't be fighting any fiends for a while.

Suddenly, we stopped and I could hear footsteps approaching us. When they stopped before us the person, a Guado, spoke.

"Ah, Lady Yuna. We've been expecting you! This way my lady…this way." He said this qickly and seemed to have tried to grab for Yuna. There was a shuffle among two people and then Wakka's voice echoed loudly

"Whoa, whoa, whoa whoa!"

"Oh, pardon me." The Guado apologized quickly. "My name is Tromell. Maester Seymour requests to speak with you my lady." He referred to Yuna and I immediately made a face.

"Me? About what I wonder." Yuna mussed.

_Who cares. It's probably not even that important. _

"I will show you to the manor." Tromell offered and I heard him turn as we walked away from us. We reluctantly followed him and entered, what I thought, might be a huge house. We were led through one room and then to anther before Tromell had us wait there while he informed Seymour that we had arrived.

When the big heavy doors closed from behind Tromell I immediately got a chill. _And I was hoping to never have to come across Seymour again! Now, we're in his house! _I stood next to Lulu while the others were standing elsewhere or walking around. Tidus and Rikku were probably the only active ones in the place.

"Lulu," I began quietly, "what do you think of Seymour?" I heard her turn her head and then the skirts of her dress rustled, the belts clincking softly together.

"What does it matter. He is a maester of Yevon." Lulu shrugged.

"In my opinion he creeps me out. I never really liked the guy."

"Ah, that's right," Lulu began, "you worked for him back in Luca."

"Unfortunately." Then, we were silent for a while.

"If you want my opinion…" Lulu began again, "I think he pays to much attention to Yuna than his duties as a maester." I nodded in agreement.

"I doubt we're the only ones who've noticed." Lulu chuckled lightly.

"If only he knew he was making a big mistake." Her voice became more grave as she said this, referring to Tidus.

"No one's told him yet?" I stated more than asked.

"No."

"Why not? You know he's going to have to know sooner or later." I pointed out and Lulu sighed as she shook her head.

"It's harder than it looks."

I crossed my arms over my chest as I thought about Tidus and Yuna. He was starting to fall for her and it looked very much like she was falling for him as well. _He's going to end up hurting himself in the end. _Just then, Tidus himself walked to us and I decided that it was my time to leave.

As I walked away from them I tried to remember where the doors were. I wanted to stand somewhere next to them, in case we need an easy exit. Suddenly, I stopped and felt something stir in the pit of my stomach that caused my heart to flutter and my stomach to turn.

_Oh no. The first stage. _

"Cynyr."

I snapped my head up at attention from the sound of Auron's voice.

"Hmm?"

"Come here." He replied quietly, so I began to make my way towards him. When I stopped, a little unsure of where he was exactly, he suddenly chuckled.

"Don't worry. I don't bite." I smiled a small smile and walked around him. He was leaned against a wall and I stood on the other side of him about a foot in a half away from him.

"Apparently, Seymour wants me dead." Auorn suddenly began. I turned my head in his direction and nodded.

"He _did _order me to kill you."

Auron was silent a moment.

"It doesn't come to me as much of a surprise." I furrowed my brows and gave him a look of confusion.

"What do you mean? Did you know him before?"

"You could say that."

I opened my mouth to ask more but was cut off as a door opened from across the room and someone walked in.

"Welcome to the manor." Seymour's cool voice said from across the room. I heard Auron draw away from the wall, and I crossed my arms over my chest as I turned my head in Seymour's direction.

"You wanted to speak to me about something?" Yuna's attentive voice asked.

"Please," Seymour's voice rose a little, "make yourselves at home. There's no rush."

_The complete opposite. _

"Please make this short. Yuna _must _rush." Auron stressed as he took a step forward. As always, Seymour was as cool as a cucumber and answered with the same annoying voice as always.

"Pardon."

I noticed that it sounded forced, or, otherwise, sarcastic. Just slightly; enough to make him sound smug with Auron.

"It's been a long time since I had guests." Seymour finished. _How do you figure? _I couldn't help thinking. Then, I realized that I was glaring, but I also realized that Seymour didn't deserve my respect so I didn't try to change my expression.

Auron must have noticed my face to, though, and spoke in a voice only I could hear.

"Save it for battle." Surprised and flustered I turned my head away from him and then heard Seymour speak again.

"This way, please."

Slowly, we began to follow Seymour through a different door, and as we filed in one by one I suddenly felt Auron's hand on the small of my back. I flinched at first, not expecting the sudden action, but then I slowly relaxed. I knew it had been him because we were the last to enter through the door.

The other's steps slowed a little and I could hear them clearly as they echoed off the walls. I didn't know where we were, but when I heard a sound like soft tiny bells and the gasps from the others, I knew we were somewhere amazing.

_How inconvenient._

"Zanarkand?" I heard Tidus say from somewhere to my right.

"Correct. This sphere is a reconstruction of the thoughts from the dead." Seymour explained. I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed softly to myself.

_I'll have to take your word for it. _

Then, I leaned close to Auron and whispered, "what does it look like?"

"It's a huge city. Bigger than Luca." Auron began to explain quietly. "The scenes change to places inside the city…a city that never sleeps." I nodded, getting somewhat of a mental picture, and it was definitely a better explanation then what I got from Tidus.

"Lady Yunalesca!" Yuna suddenly exclaimed, so I figured the scene had changed to something different. Once again, I wanted to know what it looked like so I nudged Aruon and he seemed to have looked down at me.

"We're in Yunalesca's chamber," He finally began, "and she's standing with Lord Zaon."

Once we were finally back in the main room I heard Yuna walking around and then some of the others gathered around her quickly.

"What's wrong?" Rikku asked.

"Wow, your face is beet red!" Tidus exclaimed suddenly.

"What did he say?" Lulu asked.

I took a small step forward to listen in as well, wondering what was going on.

"H-he…asked me to marry him." Yuna's quiet voice replied. I raised my brows in surprise while the others were most likely looking at her with disbelief.

"Are you serious?" Tidus asked. He apparently turned to Seymour and could only manage a, "hey." at him.

"You know what Yuna must do." Auron said gruffly as he stepped up to Seymour.

"Of course." Seymour began as he slowly approached Auron calmy. "Lady Yuna- no- all summoners are charged with bringing peace to Spira. But this means more than just defeating Sin." Seymour trailed off to let this sink in.

"She must ease the suffering for all of Spira. She must be a leader of the people." He paused again. "I proposed to Lady Yuna as a Maester of Yevon."

"Spira is no playhouse." Auron said sternly. "A moment's diversion may amuse an audience, but it changes nothing."

"Even so, the actors must play their parts." I shuddered at the sound of Seymour's voice when he said those last words and crossed my arms again over my chest. When I realized there was a long silence between the two men I figured that they were having a staring contest.

_Forget it Seymour. Auron always wins at this game. _Then, I heard the footsteps of the maester and smirked to myself.

"Please…think it over." Seymour was speaking to Yuna now, and before she could answer Auron did so for her.

"We will do so then." Auron then turned and began to walk away and the rest of us reluctantly followed. _Finally! I was beginning to think Seymour would never stop talking! _

"Lady Yuna!"

_Oh. My. God! _

"I wait for you're favorable reply."

_Dude. Shut up._

As I passed by him I couldn't help but mutter, "keep dreaming." I heard him turn to look at me, but I ignored him as I felt him burning holes in the back of my head with his gaze.

"Why are you still here, sir?" Seymour suddenly asked, causing most of us to turn in his direction. _Who the heck is he referring to? _There was a long silence before Seymour finally spoke again.

"I beg your pardon…we Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane." _Who is he talking to?_ _And what does he mean by that? _I thought curiously, but everyone soon began to walk out of the manor. When we were outside, gathered around Yuna, Lulu began to speak first.

"A maester of the Guado…and a high summoner's daughter. Their marriage will surely bring the two races together."

"He sure picked a fine time to lay this one on us." Wakka said grimly.

"Maybe…it is a fine time." Yuna said suddenly, surprising us all. Then, I remembered Tidus and was consciously aware of him standing near by. _Boy, I bet he's jealous! Probably fuming mad right now! Oh, to see his face. _

"I will go and see my father in the Farplane." Yuna announced finally, then, she rose and we all followed her down through the streets to the Farplane. _I didn't know there was an entrance to the Farplane here. Ah, even I still have so much more to learn about Spira…_

* * *

><p>-sigh- This chapter took a while to read over. But, I feel great now that I have finished it and uploaded it. :)<p>

Tomorrow, I hope to upload at least two more chapters for you guys. You learn even more about Cynyr, while she learns a little bit more about her fellow guardians...

Review to receive ice cream. :P


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **Cynyr and other characters plus the creatures and what not are mine. Square owns everything else.

**In this chapter:** Time is growing short for Cynyr, Auron reveals a bit about himself, and Cynyr isn't the only one with secrets...

* * *

><p><strong>Suspicion and Secrets<strong>

As we walked towards the Farplane I decided to stick close to Wakka, who happened to be in front of me. The ground was uneven and it became difficult for me to walk without stumbling while trying to keep up with the others.

It was deathly silent on our way there. Everyone was in their own thoughts. We were all trying to imagine Yuna and Seymour getting married. What I saw in my mind's eye was an unhappy life for Yuna as she became more of a slave and a sex toy for Seymour. I shuddered at the thought and quickly pushed it out of my mind.

When we reached our destination we turned to hear Tidus running up from behind us.

"Question!" He called out.

_What a surprise. _

"About this Farplane...It's a place where dead people go, right? And that's the Farplane we're going in, right?" He paused and seemed to be thinking. "Wait. Do dead people live there or something?"I heard Lulu give an exasperated sigh and Wakka quickly began to speak.

"You'll see when we get there." Then, everyone began to turn, and from the sound of their footsteps I guessed they were walking up a flight of stairs. I stayed back for a couple of seconds, trying to decide on where the stairs were.

Suddenly, I heard Tidus from behind me and I quickly grabbed his arm before he could walk past me and leave me.

"Wait." He stopped and turned to me.

"Huh?"

"You gotta help me. I can't- I-"

"Oh, yeah. You're blind." There was a couple seconds of silence

"Yes…Tidus."

"Sorry." He said quickly before taking hold of my arm and we started for the stairs. At first, it was slow going because the stairs were so uneven and steep, but then half way up I began walking a little faster.

"Are you really from Zanarkand?" I asked suddenly. This surprised me as much as it did Tidus. I wanted to break the silence between us but I hadn't expected myself to ask such a personal question.

Tidus was silent for several seconds and I quickly apologized.

"I wasn't trying to be nosy."

"Nah…it's just…" he paused a moment, "no one believes me." I slowly shrugged.

"I can't say that I believe you…but I do feel as though there _is_ some truth behind it." Tidus sighed.

"Well, thanks. I guess." I gave him an odd look.

"Wakka and Lulu don't believe me- Yuna, she does though."

"Then what are you complaining about?" I asked with a bit of a smile.

"What do you mean?" Tidus asked.

"You have someone who believes you. Isn't that enough?" Tidus was silent and I decided to speak again.

"If I might ask…why _does_ Yuna believe you?"

"Um…she knew my dad."

"Jecht, right?"

"Yeah…he was her father's guardian ten years ago."

"And your father was from Zanarkand to?" I asked slowly.

"Yeah." Then, there was another awkward silence and I felt the need to change the subject. Before I could speak,though, Tidus actually beat me to it.

"Do you really not know your biological parents?"

"Nope."

"How young were you?"

I took a moment to think. "I guess I was about one."

"Who found you? The Al Bhed?"

_Geez, this kid sure knows how to ask questions! They're practically flying out of his mouth!_

"No…someone else found me. I stayed with them and their family…but then they took me to the Al Bhed." I explained nervously.

_He asks too many questions. Especially now about my past. This can't be good. _

"Why'd they do that?" Tidus suddenly asked.

"Um…what do you mean?" I lied.

"I mean, why did they let you live with them and then send you off the to the Al Bhed?"

I bit my lip nervously as I searched my mind for a good reason. _They must not know. _Ida's warned. It was the first time she had spoken to me sense the accident, so it took me a little by surprise. _But what should I say? _

"Cynyr? Tidus was still waiting for an answer and I opened my mouth to speak.

"Hey, you two!" A voice called from the top of the stairs. I quietly sighed with relief when I heard Rikku's voice and quickened my steps. _Thank you Rikku! _

When we reached the landing and Tidus let go of my arm before walking away from me. _Good. Maybe he's forgotten our conversation._

"Hey, aren't you guys going up?" Tidus asked, referring to Rikku and apparently someone else.

"I don't belong there." Auron's deep voice said from near by. I turned in that direction and Tidus walked over to him. _You don't belong there? That makes no sense Auron! Is that the only excuse you could think of!_

"Oh, you're scared!" Tidus exclaimed, causing Auron to sigh.

"I have no intention of searching the past. You three had best be going." Tidus finally gave up and I heard him turn to me, but I didn't move. _You mustn't go up. _Ida commanded before I could speak.

"Oh, come on!" Tidus exclaimed. He must have seen the look on my face. "You guys aren't coming either?" I shrugged and before I could speak, Rikku did so first.

"I keep my memoried inside. Memories are nice, but that's all they are." I could feel Tidus looking at me now, waiting for my explanation. I bit my lip and shrugged.

"I have no desire to go." _I don't think I could stand seeing Hina up there anyway. _Tidus suddenly sighed and finally turned.

"Well, okay." He muttered before walking up another set of stairs. Meanwhile, Rikku walked off somewhere on the landing while I just stood there like a lost puppy. _"You must not go up." _

_What did she mean by that? Why not? If I had followed the others would I find myself back inside the Farplane with the Fayth? _I mentally shook my head as I found this impossible. _I would have to jump off the edge. But then…why couldn't I go? _

Slowly, I began to walk forwards, hoping I might find the stairs so that I could sit down. When I thought I was close enough I crouched down and used my hands to feel in front of me.

_This is gonna look sooooo stupid if I'm no where near the stairs! _Luckily, I _did _find the stairs and sat down on the first step with a quiet sigh of relief to myself.

"It's really quiet." Rikku mussed. Auron and I didn't say anything and I thought that's what she was hoping for. _What do you want us to say? "Um, yes Rikku it is!" _I sighed softly to myself and laid my arms across my knees as I drew them up to my chest.

"I think it's _too _quiet." Rikku continued slowly.

_What is she getting at?_

"I know!" She exclaimed as she jumped up with enthusiasm.

"We can sing to pass the time away! You know, like…silly songs!" Personally, I couldn't see Auron singing, much less a silly song. _I don't think I even want to hear him sing._

"You can." I finally replied to Rikku, and she seemed crestfallen.

"Aw, come on Cynyr. I thought that maybe even _you_ might want to do this with me!" She stood closer to me and I was glad I didn't have to meet her pleading gaze. I shrugged.

"I don't sing."

Auron immediately snorted at this and I made sure, after Rikku had turned away, to give him a death glare.

"Well, I'm singing!" Rikku announced loudly. She cleared her throat and started singing something in Al Bhed. It _sounded _silly_. _That wasn't the worst of it though. Not only was she singning loudly in a high pitched tone, but her voice sounded like a choking Chocobo! I tried to keep a straight face.

"Ev ymm dra nyeh tnubc fana masuh tnubc yht kis tnub ur fryd y nyeh dryd fuimt pa!" I knew I was making some sort of face because she suddenly stopped and looked over at me.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Liar!" I remained silent and she sighed.

"Well, if you think I sing bad lets see what you can do!"

_I saw this coming. _

"I don't sing." I repeated as I turned my head up in her direction. She sighed again.

"I bet you really can and you just don't want to share." I made a face while Auron chuckled with amusement. I furrowed my brows.

"That's not true. Now, leave me alone."

"Okay, okay," Rikku sighed as she turned away, "everyone has their secrets and reasons." She muttered this just as she was walking away and I got up from where I had been sitting.

I walked past Auron and almost walked into a large rail that I didn't know was there. I placed my hands on top of them then frowned.

"Where are we exactly?" I asked.

"On a staircase." Auron remarked, his tone inquiring that I was stupid and I turned to him sharply.

"That's not what I meant."

"Then specify."

"This staircase…how is it that it leads up to the Farplane? That is…where _is_ the staircase?" I asked slowly.

"It's suspended in the air!" Rikku exclaimed from behind me. I spun around and clutched the rail behind me with wide eyes.

"S-suspended?" I squeaked, then, quickly cleared my throat.

"Huh. Don't tell me you're afraid of hieghts." Auron remarked from his place on the stairs. I licked my lips and bit my bottom lip nervously. _Not exactly… _

"I didn't know you were afraid of hieghts!" Rikku exclaimed.

"I-" I began but stopped. I suddenly felt that same stirring feeling that I had felt before in the pit of my stomach, but now it felt as though it were in my chest. _Time is becoming short. _I heard Ida whisper.

"Hey, are you okay?" Rikku asked worridly and I realized I had spaced out.

"Huh?"

"You should probably sit down." Auron advised. When I didn't move or say anything I gasped when I felt Auron grab hold of my arm and pull me down. I sat down hard next to him and turned my head towards him in surprise.

"Hey! I could have done that myself."

He didn't reply. He only let go of my arm and I sat there holding it as the skin burned where he had gripped me. _Geez! He didn't have to be so rough. _

I heard Rikku sigh and I turned my head away from Auron as I began to go through my head again. _That feeling…I felt it before. Back in the Manor. I didn't realize the signs would come so soon. _I heard Auron shift next to me, his boots scraping the ground and his clothing rustling as he moved.

_Could it really be time already? _

Suddenly, I felt Auron's hand on top of mine and I turned my head quickly in his direction. He lifted my hand I immediately gave him an odd look. Then, I heard him murmur something, but I couldn't catch what he said.

_What's he doing? What's he saying? _Suddenly, the burning on my skin vanished and I blinked in surprise as I took my hand back and rubbed the skin where there had once been pain.

"I didn't know you could do that." I marveled.

"I can only heal small wounds." Auron replied before growing silent. I turned away and smiled a small smile to myself. _I guess that's his way of apologizing._ Then, from above we heard footsteps and we stood at the sound of Yuna's voice.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'll go and inform Seymour of my decision." They were almost to us when there were sudden gasps and cries from above. Everyone turned and I could hear weapons being drawn.

"Lord Jyscal!" A Guado exclaimed. _What's going on? Who's Lord Jyscal again? Oh, yeah, that's Seymour's father. _I had my hand on the hilt of my sword, ready for battle, but Auron suddenly spoke.

"He's Lord Jyscal no more. Yuna, send him." I listened for any other sounds but could only hear footsteps and then the cry of the Pyerflies as Yuna danced.

From behind me, Auron suddenly dubbled over and groaned as if in pain. I spun around in surprise and crouched down in front of him.

"Auron?" I slowly reached a hand out to him.

"Don't." I immediately shot my hand back and heard him slowly stand.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly as I stood up as well, but Auron ignored my question.

"Go now. Talk later." He turned away and started down the stairs first as the rest of us followed. _What's up with him? _As we walked quickly back to the Manor, the others began to discuss what had just happened.

"Who's this Jyscal guy?" Tidus asked after a while.

"He was Seymour's father.

"Why did he suddenly pop up like that?

"He was an unsent...he died unwillingly." Auron explained.

"What does that mean?" Tidus asked.

"It means he died an unclean death." _An unclean death, eh…could something have killed him? Or what if someone murdered him? _I pondered.

When we finally reached the Manor we let Yuna go inside while the rest of us stayed outside to wait for her. _Shouldn't maybe one of us go in with her? _No one did, of course, but we didn't have to wait long outside. Several minutes later Yuna walked over and informed us that Seymour wasn't inside.

"Hey, guys!" Tidus suddenly shouted from behind us. Apparently, he had wandered off earlier.

"I just heard that Seymour's headed to some Macaroni Temple." I snorted at this and Wakka quickly corrected him.

"That's _Macalania_ Temple."

"Well, we might as well go there now." Yuna began. "It's the next temple anyway." We agreed with this and walked throughout the rest of the streets of Guadosalm before finally reaching the Thunder Plains.

* * *

><p>As we stood under a rock shelter near the Thunder Plains, I heard Rikku shiver from behind me.<p>

"Oh no, we're here." She whimpered. I heard Lightening strike and thunder rumble as the rain drizzled lightly down. _This sucks._

"How are we suppose to get through that?" Tidus asked skeptically. _I believe that question should be rephrased as "how is Cynry suppose to get through that?" _I thought with fear as I heard more lightening crash.

"See the lightening rod towers?" Lulu began. "The lightening is drawn to them. Hopefully." She added at the end, causing me to become even more fearful than before.

"We head North, not to near and not to far from the towers, ya." Wakka explained.

"Meaning we should avoid wide open areas." Lulu added. Lightening crashed, this one much louder, and Rikku squealed in fear.

"Um, I think I left something back in Guadosalm." We all turned to her with raised brows.

"Nice knowing you." Auron remarked.

"Okay, okay I'll go!" Rikku quickly announced and we began to walk out onto the plains. At first, I hesitated but then I rushed after the others as I became afraid of being left behind. Suddenly, I rammed into Wakka. I gasped as fell back on the wet ground and Wakka spun around in surprise.

"Whoa! Oh, Cynyr. You okay?" He asked and I heard someone walk up behind me. I was about to get up when they took hold of my arm and helped me up.

"How am I suppose to dodge anything out here if I can't even stop myself from bumping into everyone?" I asked with a bit of frustration.

"Stick close to me." Auron's voice said from behind me and I realized he had been the one to help me up. I turned to him but he was already walking past both me and Wakka. I quickly caught up with him.

"Even if I stick close to you how will I know when to jump out of the-" Auron suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me to the other side of him as I gasped in surprise. Lightening crashing loudly about a foot of where I had once stood.

"That's how." Auron said before walking away. "We've got to keep moving."

"Couldn't you warn me next time?"

"Humph. It comes too quick for that." I sighed softly to myself and decided not to argue. Lightening struck often and thunder rumbled just as loud, causing Rikku to scream every time. I sighed quietly to myself, listening to the sounds of our footsteps splashing on the watery ground.

"Auron…" I began slowly, "how is it that you and Tidus know each other?"

"I knew his father. When Jecht died I made a promise to him that I would look after his son." He explained.

"So, are you from Zanarkand to?" I asked slowly with a raised brow. Before Auron could answer he grabbed me and pulled me out of the way of another lightening bolt.

"No." Auron answered briefly before letting go of my arm. When the silence from him continued I got the feeling that the matter was closed. So, I decided to change the subject.

"How old are you, Auron?"

"Humph. Why do you want to do?"

"Just a question." I shrugged.

"Thirty-five."

"Really?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" I bit my lip nervously. _Well, kind of. I actually thought you were older. _

"N-no…I just- never mind." I muttered and heard him chuckle. Lightening struck again somewhere in the distance and we heard Rikku squeal for the hundredth time before exclaiming loudly, "I hate lightening!"

"How old are you?" Auron suddenly asked.

"Twenty-three."

"Really?" I began to laugh and Auron's deep but soft laugh followed.

"What are you guys laughing about?" Wakka suddenly shouted from ahead.

I grinned.

"Hurry. Start acting like we weren't talking about Wakka." I said loud enough for him to here. We passed by him and he gasped in surprise.

"What you talking about me for, ya?" I giggled to myself as he started for us.

"Just kidding Wakka." He scoffed as he began to walk past us and I smiled to myself in amusement.

"Wakka, you fall for a lot of things." Tidus suddenly remarked. A lot of us had to hold back a laugh as we found this to be _very _true.

"I do not, ya!"

"Fiends!" Lulu suddenly shouted. _Ha! Great timing. _All of us immediately ran forward with our weapons drawn, our footsteps spraying water in all , I was slower than the others so three or four people were already up at the front.

I could hear their attacks; Tidus swinging his sword, Wakka throwing his Blitzball, Kimahri swinging and stabbing with his spear, and Lulu casting her spells.

It didn't take long for them to defeat the three fiends so, we were back on the wet, lightening struck ground once again.

Auron resumed his place beside me.

"How long do you think Rikku will last?" I muttered.

"Humph."

_I'll take that as a "not long." _

Before I could open my mouth to say anything else I heard lightening up ahead and several of my fellow guardians jump out of the way. There were a few warnings amongst them and before I knew it, Auron was pulling me close to him with his arm tightly around my waist.

My breath caught in my throat as my right ear was pressed against his chest, one of my hands clutching the sleeve of his jacket. My eyes grew wide with surprise.

It was only for a few seconds, but it had been enough. The lightening hadn't even struck in this amount of time, there were no shouts, no thunder, only the sound of the light drizzle of rain and the loud silence that I could hear with that one ear.

* * *

><p>:O -gasp- What just happened!<p>

By the way, I know Tidus doesn't really say "Macaroni" temple but I wanted to add lib there cause I found it amusing. :)

Review! XD

Review! XD


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy X, but I _do _own my characters and my creatures that I've added into the story.

**In this Chapter: **Cynyr's discovery and Auron's wake up call...

* * *

><p><strong>Wake Up Call<strong>

All sound returned. The lightening stuck, the thunder rumbled, the rain came down a little harder. It was as if everything had paused for only a second...just so I could hear that loud silence that came from within Auron's chest.

I felt his hand slide a little away from my waist and I slowly came out of revere.

"Cynyr…" He began and I realized that I was still standing there like a dummy, practically holding onto him as I stood in silent shock. I quickly pushed myself off him and kept my head down as I fiddled with my hair and tried to regain my composure.

"Sorry." I said quickly as I began to chew on my bottom lip. Auron continued to stand next to me and I could feel his burning gaze on me. He was probably trying to figure out what was wrong, but I would never tell, because it was to hard to even admit to myself.

"Are you alright?" Auron began. "You weren't hit were you?" I shook my head, still keeping my head down and staying silent for the most part. Auron finally gave up and began to walk away and I slowly followed.

_I couldn't hear anything…nothing, nothing at all. _I thought in awe. _Maybe I'm overreacting. His breast plate could have muffled the sound. That's why I didn't hear it. _I tried to tell myself, but to no avail.

_Well…maybe…I didn't have my ear pressed hard enough against his chest- no maybe it's because I wasn't listening for it so I didn't hear anything. _I tried over and over to reason with myself with a logical explanation, but it was slowly failing.

It was what all humans did. When you got into an unexpected and confusing situation you were always trying to find a logical reason to the reason _why_ and _what_. _And that's what I'm doing now. _

_Don't forget…you are human, Cynyr. _Ida said from inside my head, reminding me like always. I sighed. _But why? If he doesn't have a heart beat…then he has no heart. _I was slowly coming to the obvious and most _logical _answer. _And if he has no heart…then he's- _

I couldn't bring myself to say it, much less think it. Then, I remembered what Seymour had said back in Guadosalm; how he had referred to Auron being from the Farplane. It all made sense now and my eyes grew wide with the realization.

Suddenly, I stopped. Something had caught my attention. A noise from somewhere far off. _Why hasn't anyone else heard?_ I heard Auron's footsteps stop now, and he turned to look at me.

"Why have you stopped?" I turned my head in his direction as I continued to listen.

"I hear something." I said quietly. Up ahead the others had stopped as well and began to walk back to where Auron stood.

"What's going on?" Wakka asked.

"I hear something…and it's coming closer." I replied in the same tone of voice. The others quieted as they, to, began to listen.

"I don't hear anything." Tidus exclaimed.

"Shh!" I shot back. He immediately shut up and I walked past the group. They turned to watch me and as I continued to walk I could hear the sound getting louder.

"It's a fiend…" I said slowly, "but there's more than one."

"How can you tell?" Tidus asked skeptically.

"Don't forget who you're talking to."

"Yeah, but you're blind." He said bluntly.

"Exactly."

I smiled as I withdrew my sword and the others followed. Then, without turning I shouted, "behind you!" Everyone turned and in three seconds flat there was a large fiend running towards them while another ran towards me.

"They're on all sides!" I exclaimed as I heard others coming from the left and right, growls and the sound of electricity snapping as they neared. Everyone scattered, yelling one another's name as they took their positions and waited for the time to attack.

The one in front of me was snapping with electricity and making sounds I didn't know was possible to come from a fiend.

"I've got the Aerouge, ya!" I heard Wakka shout from behind me.

"Whoa!"

"Watch out!"

As I heard shouts from behind me I ran and swung at the fiend that gurgled and growled in front of me. It coughed like it had inhaled water as it became angry with my attack and began to sound like a giant electric wire emerged in water.

"What the hell is front of me?" I asked as I warded off the fiend's attack.

"A Melusine." Lulu replied as she came up beside me. "It resists magic." I ran towards the Melusine again and attacked twice before jumping back. It growled and spat before coming at me again. I lifted my sword, the point aimed at the fiend. Before it could back down it landed against my sword, its body sliding down the blade with a sickening sound.

Lulu turned away in disgust just as the fiend began to disperse into hundreds of Pyerflies.

"How you people can do that without grossing out, I will never know." Lulu muttered before walking quickly away from me. I smiled to myself and then turned to listen for another fiend and for another opening.

"Cynyr!" Tidus shouted as he ran from his fiend and I immediately took his place. The fiend attacked Wakka, who was standing beside me, then attacked me. I felt a sharp pain run through my body like electricity and clenched my fists from the pain

Gripping my sword tighter, I heard Wakka give his attack to the fiend then I attacked next, ignoring the pain in my body. Already weakened from Tidus's sword, it died instantly and I hurried out of line for the others to finish up the rest.

Yuna immediately came to me, while I stood out of the way, and healed me. When the pain subsided I turned to her with a smile.

"Thanks Yuna."

"You're fighting so hard."

"I have to…" I shrugged, "I can't let the loss of my sight get in the way."

"Just remember that you're still my guardian, no matter what happens. And you're my friend." I nodded with a small smile and then she left to heal the others.

* * *

><p>After the battle was over and we were walking back down the dreary road we stopped abruptly from the sound of lightening that struck <em>very <em>close by. I jumped from the sound and I heard Yuna gasp.

"Whoa!" Tidus exclaimed as he took a step back.

"Wow, that was a close one!" Wakka laughed.

"Stop kidding around." Lulu immediately said as she passed by him, causing Wakka to quickly shut up, and in a serious tone he replied, "yes ma'ma." I smiled with amusement at this then turned at the sound of Rikku laughing quietly behind us. Everyone turned to face her as well.

"Mmm, what's wrong?" Wakka asked first, but Rikku continued to laugh.

"Heh heh heh, you're giving me the creeps!" Tidus exclaimed and then lightening struck again, causing Rikku to fall to her knees and scream. _Ugh! Not this crap again! _Unexpectedly, she began to _crawl _towards us and grabbed hold of Tidus's leg as he looked down at her in surprise.

"Hey, whoa!"

"I wanna go home!" Rikku exclaimed.

_Oh, Lord love a duck! _

"I hate lightening! I hate thunder! Lets go rest over there…please?" Rikku was apparently pointing at something behind us and I could only stand there guessing at what it was.

"This storm never stops." Auron pointed out. "It's better to cross quickly."

"I know, but…just for a little while?" Rikku pleaded. Tidus laughed lightly to himself before turning to Auron.

"Well, what now?"

Auron immediately sighed, but I wasn't sure if he sighed in defeat or in annoyance. Either way we continued to walk on through the Plains, apparently getting closer to whatever Rikku was pointing at. _Could it be another Travel Agency? Hmm…I didn't think of that._ Rin's face immediately flashed through my mind and I remembered what he had said back on the highroad. _I wonder if he'll be there. _I mused.

As we began to pass the Inn Rikku stopped and we continued to walk on by.

"Pretty please! Just a few minutes!" Rikku called after us. We continued to ignore her and kept walking. Even so, she persisted.

"I'm scared of lightening! Lets rest, please…pretty please!"

_Ugh! Her voice is becoming sooooo annoying! I'm surprised Auron hasn't said anything yet. _

"I'm to young to die!"

_This is getting ridiculous. _

Still, Rikku persisted and finally, after having enough of her whining, Auron stopped.

"Fine," he began harshly, "we'll rest here." As we began to walk back towards Rikku I heard him mutter, "she's worse than the storm."

Once we were inside Yuna immediately went up to the desk to ask for a room. Then, she left quickly with her key. _She must be really tired…_ I stifled a yawn as I found myself getting tired as well, but I jumped at the sound of Rikku's scream as lightening crashed from outside.

_You'd think Rin would've put up sound proof walls for this place._

I took my sword, still in its sheath, and leaned it against the wall behind me. I could hear the voices of Tidus and Lulu as they began to talk to Rikku, then, I heard footsteps coming from down the hall. They stopped and the person began to speak.

"Nice to meet you again," Rin's voice echoed through the room, "welcome to the Rin Travel Agency."

_It's all thanks to Rikku. _

As Rin rounded the front desk he spotted me almost immediately.

"Ah, Cynyr." He walked up to me and I turned my head in his direction.

"How are you?"

I smiled a small smile. "A lot has happened since we last met." I admitted.

"Yeah, you'll never believe what happened to Cynyr." Tidus exclaimed suddenly, walking up to join our conversation. _Ahem…I don't remember inviting you over, Tidus._

"It's almost hard to say, Rin." I began slowly. He looked up at me and I knew that by now he was starting to figure out why I wasn't looking him in the eye.

"Do tell."

"While on the road towards Guadosalm I was hit in the back of the head by one of Ochu's arms…so, when I awoke I realized I was blind." Rin sucked in a sharp breath.

"Goodness, I guess that was a huge shock to you."

"Yeah, but she can still fight like she used to!" Tidus added in. I smiled a small smile.

"Well, I'm not as good as I was…but I'm decent."

"Don't sell yourself so short." Lulu suddenly spoke up. _I didn't realize that everyone was gathered around me for story time! Gosh, geez… _I turned my head in her direction and I heard her cross her arms.

"Knowing you I'm sure you can fight just as good. You'll have to show me sometime." Rin said then, and I heard him smile. _Wow…my hearing is getting a lot more sharper. _I returned the smile.

"It was all thanks to Auron and the others. He trained me to fight again…everyone had faith in me when I didn't. I'm glad they did." Now, I heard everyone, that was standing around me, smile.

"Yeah...you learned pretty fast." Tidus mused.

"Back when you lived at Home you were really great with a sword." Rin began.

"You bet!" Tidus exclaimed. "Before she lost her sight she beat both Wakka and I in a row, but then she lost to old stick in the mud over there." I began to laugh at this as well as Rikku and Tidus.

"He means Auron." I explained and Rin chuckled.

"But it was a pretty good fight. I thought that Cynyr would win again." Rikku chimed in as thunder rumbled above us. She didn't even hear it. _If only she could be this occupied during the trip through this place. _

"I'd like to hear more about this little dual you had with three men." Rin said with a smile.

"She managed to throw my sword out of my grasp with hers." Tidus put in.

"She did the same to Wakka." Rikku added.

"Hmm? I heard my name?" Wakka suddenly said as he began to walk over.

"We're talking about how you lost to Cynyr in that sword fight." Tidus explained with a smirk.

"Yeah, well did you hear how Tidus lost to her to?" Wakka asked with crossed arms. Tidus was about to say something, but Wakka continued.

"Yeah, she let him take a hit to her first and she _easily _sidestepped him while he just cut through air like a newbie!" He laughed.

"Hey!" Tidus exclaimed. Rikku giggled while the rest of us began to laugh as well.

"Is this true?" Rin asked me with a chuckle. I nodded.

"He had me on the ground at one point, but then I knocked him off his feet."

"Yeah, well I've gotten a lot better." Tidus defended. I smiled.

"We shall see."

He snorted.

"I'll definitely win against you now! You're blind, there's no way I could lose this time." I laughed at this.

"Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I can't hear."

"What does that have anything to do with it?" He scoffed.

"I'll give you an example. Just a few seconds ago I could hear your smile." Tidus was silent a moment as the others laughed lightly at him.

"Yeah, well, can you hear me blink?"

I laughed.

"Maybe." Tidus snorted and crossed his arms.

"I would love to see this dual between you two." Rin said with a chuckle, then he shook his head. "Alas, I may not see you again after tonight." I nodded in agreement as I heard Lulu's skirts rustling and then her footsteps as she walked to the front desk.

"But hey, maybe we _will_ meet again?" Tidus shrugged and I heard Rikku yawn.

"Maybe, but we shouldn't count on it." I pointed out.

"Well," Rin began with a small sigh, "I better let you all get your rest. You have a long journey ahead of you." We nodded and he began to leave as well as Tidus. I decided to go ahead and get my room. I was tired and really wanted to sleep.

Once I had found my room I just stood there against my door as I let the peaceful silence wash over me and I sighed a long sigh. In that silence I was suddenly hit by all the events that had happened to me all at once. It was like one huge explosion that went off inside my chest, and it was so much for my heart to take that it began to spill out of my eyes and run down my cheeks.

_I don't understand! Why am I crying? _

I wiped at my eyes with frustration then walked more into the room to find my bed. It was on my right and I slumped down like a pile of jelly onto the soft mattress. The tears kept coming. _Oh, what the hell. It feels good to cry right now! _

So, as I let myself cry I began to take my armor off slowly and carefully before setting them down on the floor where I could find them the next morning.

Then, I took my comb out and began to brush through my hair. _This has been the longest day of my life! _When I finally finished I stopped crying and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. _I need a shower. _I thought as I got up and started for the other side of the room, feeling along the wall for the bathroom door.

Just as I had reached the door, my hand on the knob, I turned to the sound of a knock on my bedroom door.

"Yes?" I replied as I rubbed at my eyes again, praying that my face wasn't tear streaked. The door opened and the person entered before closing the door behind them.

"Cynyr, I was just coming by to give this back." I smiled a small smile at the sound of Rin's voice and awkwardly stood there. I didn't know what he had in his hands so I couldn't say thanks or anything.

"Oh! Sorry." Rin said quickly as he realized his mistake.

"It's your sword. You left it in the lobby." He explained before setting it against the wall near the bed.

"Oh, I left it- I'm glad you brought it by, Rin. Thank you." I nodded as I began to walk forward. Rin smiled, but then it faded. I stopped as he walked towards me.

"Cynyr…have you been crying?" My heart skipped as I quickly turned a little away from him and rubbed at one of my eyes nervously.

"N-no. I was just-" I stopped as he took hold of my shoulders and turned me to face him.

"What's wrong, Cynyr?" He asked softly as he reached up and pulled some of my hair out of my face. I shook my head and took a step back and he let got of me.

"No…it's nothing, Rin. Don't worry about it."

As I said this I was suddenly hit by the memory of Auron and his none beating heart. Pain surged through chest and an invisible hand squeezed my heart tightly. I could feel the tears welling up again but I took a deep breath, willing myself not to cry.

"Something _is_ wrong."

I shook my head.

"Was it anything I did?" Rin asked with a shrug, obviously wanting to help. I shook my head again.

"Rin…there's nothing you can do. It's okay…it's just one of those days." I explained with a shrug. Rin was silent for a while and I could feel his gaze on me. _Don't even think about trying to kiss me again. _

"Are you sure?" Rin asked softly and I nodded as I held my elbow with a hand.

"Alright…" Rin finally said as he began to turn away, but as he reached the door I stopped him.

"Rin?" He turned and I hesitated a moment.

"Thanks."

"For what?" I shrugged a shoulder as I replied. "For…bringing the sword over…and for worrying about me." Rin smiled.

"You're welcome. Good night."

"Night." Then he left and I finally turned to get the shower I needed.

After I had showered, combed through my hair and braided it I jumped into the bed and snuggled up under the covers, closing my eyes to sleep. Unfortunately, sleep wouldn't come. I rolled over on the other side and several minutes passed.

I was still awake.

Finally, I rose and sat up against the headboard with my arms wrapped around my knees. _My mind won't shut down. _I thought. _I guess I still can't get that Auron's heart doesn't beat out of my head. _I sighed heavily and rested my head on my arms.

Thunder rumbled off in the distance and lightening struck farther away, followed by another rumble of thunder. Somewhere in another room I could Rikku whimpering. It was one sound that I wasn't going to enjoy hearing. _At least tomorrow we'll be out of this place. Ugh! But why can't I get to sleep? _I thought with frustration.

_You're baby blues…so full of wonder…your curly Q's, your contagious smile… _At the sound of my mother's voice I slowly lifted my head and began to sing softly along with her. "And as I watch…you start to grow up. All I can do, is hold you tight." The words spilled right off my lips easily and softly in perfect harmony and sync with Ida.

Slowly, I began to lay back down and I closed my eyes as I continued to sing along with her. Then, my words turned into whispers until I finally stopped just to listen to her sing to me. This was what brought me sleep.

When morning came I was greeted by more thunder and lightening. As dreary as the morning was I got up with a groan and stumbled to the bathroom to splash water on my face and then relieve myself.

Once I had my hair brushed out and my armor back on I grabbed my sword, that was leaned against the wall, and decided to tie it around my waist. Just as I was opening the door I realized someone was standing there and I took a step back.

"Ah, Cynyr. I just informed most of the others; there are fiends outside the Inn. They're trying to attack some of the guests." Rin quickly explained. I nodded as I began to walk past him.

"Right, I'll get Auron. By the way," I turned back to Rin, "which room is he in?"

"Twelve A." I nodded and turned to feel along the walls and then the doors, reading with my fingers the different numbers and letters.

Finally, I arrived at the door and I suddenly hesitated. _What are you so scared about? Just knock, walk in, whatever and tell him about the fiends. _I nodded to myself and took a deep breath before opening the door and walking right in.

"Auron?" I called quietly. When there wasn't an answer, except for a snore, I immediately went to the bed, which was always on the right, and stopped. I hesitated again before finally reaching down, slowly, and found his shoulder.

_Dang, that's a big shoulder! _

"Auron." I repeated as I shook him. He didn't even flinch. He just kept snoring like there was no tomorrow. I sighed and set my mouth in a thin line before finally shaking him much harder.

"Auron! Wake up!"

Now he was awake. Perhaps a little _too _awake. Without warning he shot up and swung his fist in my direction. I quickly brought both my hands up and caught his fist before he could hit my face and I glared at him.

"Auron! Stop fooling around! There's fiends outside and we've been asked to get rid of them!" As I said this Auron quickly took back his fist and I began to turn away when I heard him jump out of bed.

"Cynyr!" He called after me and I stopped to turn to him again.

"What?"

Suddenly, there was a rustle as he grabbed the blankets off the bed and seemed to hold them in front of him.

"I-I'm sorry I almost hit you." He stammered and I turned away from him as I tried to hold back a laugh.

"I don't even want to know." I gestured at him and began to walk out of the room. As I walked out I heard him growl with frustration and then shut the door behind me. Now, I began to laugh.

_At least I couldn't see him._

"We're all here- where's Auron?" Tidus asked as I walked into the lobby.

"I already…woke him." I said as I bit down on my lip through a smile.

"What's so funny?" Lulu asked from behind Tidus. I opened my mouth to speak when from behind me I heard Auron enter and I shook my head.

"Nothing."

I'm sure I got strange looks from the others and a glare from Auron, but I was already out the door in the light rain and chilly air.

We didn't have to go far to find the fiends. They were practically waiting for us right outside the door. I immediately withdrew my sword and I heard the others grab their weapons as well.

"Lets kick their sorry asses!" Tidus shouted before running forward and laying a hit on the first one. I could hear them all but I couldn't get an exact count of how many there were.

_Five? Maybe Six? There sure is a lot of them out here…I wonder why._

Suddenly, like electricity, something powerful surged through me and I stood still for a moment to try to get my bearings. _It's a lot stronger than I remembered…it even seems a little different…_

"Cynyr!"

I pushed my thoughts aside and immediately ran forward, switching with Wakka as I began to attack the fiend in front of me. I heard Kimahri growl fiercely from beside me as he lifted his spear and then stabbed at the fiend he had in front of him, killing it instantly.

I hit the badly wounded fiend once more then heard the Pyerflies before pulling out to rest a bit. Suddenly, from behind me, I heard something growl and I quickly spun around as it hissed like an angry cat.

Then, it spoke, its dangerous voice echoing in my head.

_Hello again, Cynyr._

* * *

><p>Oh my goodness! Who could it be? :P<p>

Once again, the song is by Plumb. :)

Review please!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy X. Cynyr is my character and so are the others that I added in this story.

Whoop! Another exciting chapter! And a very hard one to write if I might add. It took a while cause there was just so much stuff that was needed in there and I got myself all confused and had to start over... not fun.

But anyways, hope you enjoy it! :D

* * *

><p><strong>Stronger<strong>

_You again!_ It was that same demon cat from the highroad at the Inn. I lifted my sword up a little higher as I braced myself for his first attack.

_Yes. You should know that I will never leave you alone until I get what I've wanted for so many years! _He laughed harshly and I began to wonder why none of my fellow guardians hadn't noticed the two of us. I took a step back then charged at the fiend, my blade raised and ready to strike.

My sword immediately met a part of its body, but it rang like before, like it had hit rock or another metal. _Ugh! Who are you and what do you want from me? _I thought with irritation and I quickly jumped back.

"Ugh! Go away you stupid demon cat!" He laughed in his this throat and lashed out at me again as thunder boomed above us.

_I'm no demon cat you vile human! _He exclaimed. _But you may call me Shadow. I am a lot stronger than I once was. And now…you are much weaker, Cynyr. _Shadow laughed again andI clenched my teeth as I gripped my sword tighter. Once again I advanced on him.

I hit his rock hard body over and over, trying to inflict some sort of pain on him. _Clang! Clang! Clang! _It was as if he wore a rock armor that was unbreakable. Lightening crashed from near by as thunder followed ans my sword continued to clang loudly. _Clang! Clang!_

_ Stop it you idiot! It won't work! _Shadow screamed inside my head, then roughly threw me to the cold and wet ground. I gasped as the breath was knocked out of me and my sword went flying. It clattered on the ground several feet away from where I lay and I slowly drew myself up off the ground.

_Hahahaha! You're so weak that it's actually funny! _I ignored him as he continued to laugh and turned my head in the direction my sword had gone. As quickly as I could I began to crawl forward but stopped when a felt something like energy rush into my heart and soul, surging through all the veins in my body.

"What's going on?" I muttered to myself.

_ Ahahaha! _Shadow was still laughing and so loud that it was causing me to get a headache. I heard him come close from behind me and I quickly spun around as I withdrew my dagger. _Stay away! _He only chuckled and came closer, growling and hissing like a cat.

Then, he pounced and I struck him hard. Shadow immedaitely screamed in pain as the blade sunk deep inside one of its eyes, the most vulnerable spot I could find by luck. _Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I can't fight! _I thought loudly so he could hear me over his screams and the storm around us.

He reared back and the dagger came out with a sickening sound and I could feel the blood running down the hilt of my dagger and onto my hand. Now, as he sat moaning and stumbling in pain, I scrambled after my sword. I gasped when a lightening bolt crashed down to the right of me, then, I winced in pain as my knee came across my blade first.

I grabbed the hilt and spun around to face Shadow again, but he was still growling in pain, angry and frustrated with me. I scowled as I quickly rose and walked towards him.

"You pile of crumbling rubble." I hissed. "I barely even wounded you."

I held my sword up, ready to strike him as the lightening crashed and the thunder rumbled above my head again. I swung hard and there was a loud whistling sound as my blade cut through the air.

_Don't worry…I'll be back. _Was all I heard from Shadow as he slowly disappeared.

Then, I began coughing and held a hand up to my nose as I quickly walked away from the stench. _Smoke. _I clenched my teeth in frustration.

_Coward! _

"Cynyr!" I heard heavy footfalls as the others came running towards me and I turned around to face them.

"You okay, ya?" Wakka asked as he stood in front of me, while Tidus stood to my right.

"You're pretty beat up." Rikku commented from my left near Wakka.

"Lets get her inside." Auorn advised. We all turned and began to walk back to the Inn, the rain still coming down as the storm raged around us.

_Ida, is that the danger you were talking about? Shadow? _I asked.

_Yes. He is a threat to us…and you._

_What does he want? I don't understand. _I thought as I was led to a chair inside the lobby, the others gathering around.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Cynyr!" Yuna suddenly cried out as she crouched in front of me. I rubbed my face with a hand as water dripped from my brows and hair.

"That was a really big fiend, ya." Wakka said from behind me.

"Why did you fight it? You could have asked for help." Lulu pointed out. I shook my head.

"Because…I had to-"

"Cynyr, you don't have to prove yourself to me every time you fight!" Yuna exclaimed as she laid a reassuring hand on my knee, the one that was cut. Before I could open my mouth to say anything back she began to murmur under her breath. Once again the Cura washed over me, and it healed my knee as well as my aching body.

"You were careless. Don't ever do something so stupid again." I heard Auron say to my right. I turned with a look of surprise on my face.

"Hey, that's mean, Auron!" Rikku exclaimed.

"I wasn't being _careless _Auron. I was only doing my job as a guardian: protecting Yuna…even if it meant my life." I pointed out.

"Cynyr." I heard Yuna say as she laid a hand on my arm. I turned my head in her direction and sighed.

"Auron's just worried about you. If you want to continue to protect me, you'll need to be a little more careful." Yuna spoke softly, trying to sound more assuring than Auron. She always had a way with words.

_I just wish that everyone would treat me with the same respect they would if I wasn't blind. _

After a while of awkward silence I finally sighed in defeat.

"Sorry. I'll try not to be so careless next time." _On behave of Auron._

"Humph." Was all Auron said before walking back outside. The others gathered around a bit closer and I tried to relax a little.

"Thank You, Cynyr." Yuna said softly with a smile.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think you did really great for someone who's blind." Tidus commented from beside me.

"Yeah, I'd have to say you were doing great for a while there." Wakka added.

"Well, at least that's the plus side of things." I replied with a sigh.

"Just remember," Lulu began, "we're your friends and if you need help you can always ask."

"Yeah...you're right."I replied with a nod.

"I think Auron's just being a wet cat right now." Tidus said with a shrug and this caused most of us to laugh. _Why is it I can image Auron as a wet cat? _I thought with amusement.

I heard Wakka chuckle a deep chuckle before patting me on the shoulder.

"I guess we should head out, ya?" Those of us who were sitting, stood, and I stretched as I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, old Brussels Sprouts is still out in the rain waiting for us." Tidus commented.

"Tidus!" Yuna gasped in surprise, but he laughed

"What?" We all just shook our heads and began to walk back out in the rain. I was walking behind the group when I heard someone call out my name from behind me. I turned and just from the sound of their footsteps I realized who it was.

"Rin." I said with a small smile.

"I saw you out there. You did great as always." He said with a grin. I ran a nervous hand through my damp hair.

"Yeah? Well…I don't think Auron thinks so."

"I will agree, you should be a little more careful. You've still got a lot of practicing to do, now that you're blind."

"I guess so…thanks."

"Of course. I wish you all well on this long journey you have ahead." I smiled, but then it faded as I came to a realization.

"I guess I won't see you again."

He nodded.

"Most likely not. But do not worry. I will be thinking of you and your friends all the while." He said this as he rested a hand on my shoulder and gave him a small smile.

Then, I reached up and wrapped my arms around him as I buried my face in his neck. Rin almost immediately wrapped his arms around my shoulders as well, hugging me back with a small chuckle.

"Bye Rin." I whispered, then we began to pull away.

"And I know it's going to be hard to believe but…I'm going to miss you." He chuckled lightly as he reached up and tucked some of my hair behind my ear and I could feel his eyes looking into mine. Suddenly, without warning, he leaned forward and kissed me gently on the cheek.

"Me to." He murmured in my ear.

As I took a step back I gave him a look of surprise and slowly raised a hand to my cheek.

"What was that for?"

"For good luck." Rin replied with a sly smile.

I returned my own smile and said, "you surprise me sometimes" I paused then began to turn. "Well, good-bye Rin."

* * *

><p>"It's about time!" Tidus exclaimed as I ran out into the rain to join the others, water splashing as my feet met the many puddles on the ground.<p>

"What took you so long?" Wakka asked.

"Just saying good-bye." I replied with a shrug.

"Well it sure was a long one." Tidus began as we started down the road. "Are you sure you didn't have some kind of kissing session going on to?" I suddenly blushed at the mention of _kiss_, and I could still feel Rin's kiss on my cheek.

"No." I quickly scoffed at Tidus. Thankfully, the rain and cold air kept anyone from noticing my reddened cheeks, and I sighed softly to myself in relief.

Two hours later, after fighting more fiends, Yuna suddenly stopped.

"Wait, everyone. There's something I need to tell you."

"Now?" Lulu asked.

"But we're almost out of here! Lets go!" Rikku exclaimed.

"I have to say it now!" Yuna said with frustration, causing us to grow silent.

"Over there." Auron said after a while and we all began to follow him to some sort of shelter. A tower near by was struck with lightening and thunder rumbled loudly above us.

"I've decided to marry." Yuna said softly. A few of us gasped but some of us stayed silent as we found this to be expected.

"I thought so." Lulu sighed.

"But why?" Wakka asked.

"For Spira…and Yevon's unity." Yuna replied slowly.

"Are you sure about this, Yuna?" I asked softly.

"Yes."

"Wait, does this have anything to do with Lord Jyscal?" Lulu asked next.

"Hey! That sphere!" Tidus suddenly blurted. We all turned to him now and he seemed to want to take back what he had said. I heard footsteps and then Auron's deep voice.

"Show me." Yuna took a step back.

"I can't. I must speak with Maester Seymour first."

_She's hiding something…_

"I truly am sorry…" Yuna continued, "but it's a personal matter."

"You're kidding, ya?" Wakka exclaimed, but there was silence from Yuna.

"Just…one thing." Auron began.

"I won't quite my Pilgrimage." Yuna replied quickly and then we all held out breath as we waited to hear what Auron would say next.

"Then it is…fine." Auron finally said, his answer sounding forced. Suddenly, Tidus ran up to Auron.

"Wait a minute Auron- you don't care? I mean- you're not going to stop her?"

"No, I'm not. As long as she is willing to face Sin all else is her concern. That is a summoner's privilege, as long as she journey's."

This caught Tidus a little off guard and there was another silence as he let this sink in. Finally, Tidus turned away from Auron in defeat.

"But that's-" He stopped, unable to get the words out. So, he decided to growl in frustration.

"Yuna, just one question." Wakka began as he walked up to her. "Can't you speak to Maester Seymour First? You got to marry him?"

"Don't know…but I think it's the best thing to do." Yuna replied slowly and quietly.

"Okay…I guess." Wakka muttered, and then we all turned towards the road. Silence overcame us again and started back out in the rain, lost in our own thoughts.

After about an hour we found ourselves in the peacefulness of the forest where silence from Rikku was absolutely golden. Unfortunately, all of our clothes were soaked from all the rain and now it was a very uncomfortable time to travel.

I heard Rikku sigh with relief from beside me, then she began to run and skip around like the normal kid she was. I had to admit, it was good to hear her being hyper and happy everywhere we went, for once. As I caught up with her I began to speak.

"Rikku, if you don't mind me asking...why are you afraid of thunder and lightening?" Rikku stopped skipping to stand beside me.

"Well, you see," she began, "my brother was trying to protect me against this water fiend when I was younger." I heard her kick a rock which bounced several yards away. "He went to hit it with lightening but he hit me instead. So…I've been afraid of it ever since."

"Oh. I see…" I trailed off and she started to run up ahead again. Suddenly, we stopped and Lulu said we should wait for Auron and Tidus to catch up. Apparently, they were still hanging around somewhere down the road.

As we waited I walked over to Lulu, who's skirts rustled and belts clinked together when she moved. So far it was my favorite sound.

"What does it look like here?" I asked her.

"This place shimmers with crystals…" Lulu began, "everything has a blue tint to it. Even the trees. It's really quite beautiful…and peaceful." I smiled as I nodded, whishing I could see it now. Blue trees sounded interesting.

"If I might ask," Lulu began and I turned to her, "where did you live before your parents perished?" I was silent a moment as I searched my memory for the place.

"I believe…" I began, "it was Kilika. I was out in the water after Sin had attacked…almost dead when I was found." Suddenly, I was hit by the memory of Guadosalm when Tidus had asked me, "why did the people who had found you give you to the Al Bhed."

_Why did the Fayth give me over to the Al Bhed? _

_Think about it. _Ida whispered, so I did. _You saved me…gave me a home…loved me…gave me special gifts…and then suddenly sent me to the Al Bhed when- _I almost gasped aloud as it finally dawned on me.

_That was when you told me that I couldn't be with you anymore- Shadow. Apparently, he wants power…more power than the Fayth…but if he wants that power then why is he coming after me? _I mused. Ida chuckled, but before I could ask anymore questions I heard Rikku shout.

"Slow poke!"

Auron and Tidus joined us again and we started down the road once more. _How does Shadow get his power…so far he's become a lot stronger than the last time. But what is he exactly? Why does he want me so badly? _So many questions flew through my head, but none were answered.

_Why is it that you don't answer me! _For several seconds Ida didn't reply and I began to think she was going to ignore me again.

_ You must remember that it takes a lot of energy from me to communicate to you like this. _She explained. I bit my lip as guilt washed over me and I became silent. in my thoughts.

_But I will tell you this before I go. _Ida began again. _Before your parents were even born…Shadow was once a Fayth. But he yearned to be more powerful than any of us. When he became more and more of a threat to us we had him thrown out. _Ida grew silent so I decided to figure out the rest.

_So, when he was thrown out he continued to find a way to become more powerful? That's when you found me. _Ida then replied. _Yes. Now, you are the only one who can stop him._ Ida was silent and I knew she had left. What she had said made sense…but I knew there was more to the story.

_I suppose I'll wait until she can communicate with me again the next time._

Suddenly, I bumped into Kimahri and fell back on my butt in surprise. I had been so deep in thought that I hadn't realized we had stopped. Kimahri made some sort of sound in his throat and I quickly got up before taking a giant step back.

"Sorry, Kimahri." I muttered, then I heard a sword being withdrawn and then Auron's voice.

"It's here…somewhere." He said this more to himself than to the rest of us.

_What is? _

"Um, Sir Auron." Yuna began slowly.

"It won't take long."

Before any of us could say anything else his sword began to loudly whack at some trees that were in front of him _What's he trying to do? _Then, he stopped and he hefted his sword up on one shoulder as he walked through the opening, his footsteps receding as he got farther away. Reluctantly, the rest of us followed.

Upon entering, our footsteps splashed through puddles of water that seemed to be everywhere. We walked farther inside and then heard Auron speak again as we stopped.

"This is what sphere's are made of."

"It's all just water, isn't it?" Tidus asked. Before anyone could answer him there was a gurgling sound as something emerged from the water ahead. Everyone pulled out their weapons and I followed.

This place is also attracted to fiends." Auron remarked, then he suddenly dashed forward and hit the fiend. _What kind of fiend is it? Some sort of water fiend? _I thought as I stood back to wait for someone to call my name. Auron, Tidus, Lulu, and Kimahri were up at the front attacking first.

"Yuna!" Lulu shouted.

"Yes!" Yuna exclaimed as she ran up to cast an immunity shield on her four guardians. From what I could hear, the fiend didn't make much noise. It just sounded like a huge mass of water trying to attack my fellow guardians.

_That's rather odd. How can a fiend be a huge mass of water… _

"Wakka!" Tidus shouted and I heard the two men switch places quickly as the battle continued.

_Water can't move on it's own…right? _

"Rikku!" Kimahri shouted from the battle lines.

"I'm on it, yo!" Rikku exclaimed as her smaller footsteps ran towards the fiend. _If it was a real water fiend…it would be making fiend sounds. _My brows furrowed as I pondered on this. _That would mean that something's controlling the water. Or someone…_

"Cynyr!" I heard Lulu shout and I immediately ran forward with my sword in hand. Auron stood on my right and I heard him attack the fiend first. Before I could attack next the mass of water suddenly came towards me. It was almost to hard to hear and I was almost hit.

_ Ha! Missed! _

I jumped back into line as the water mass moved back, but then it suddenly spoke.

_ I told you I'd be back…Cynyr. Now, I've improved. Lets see how you can fight against me now! _My eyes grew wide with surprise as Shadow's voice echoed through my head, then I furrowed my brows in determination. Gripping my sword tighter, I braced myself for his next attack.

_ So…you came back for some more? _I mocked. _Ha! More than you think! You and all your friends will die today! _He shouted loudly inside my head.

_How? You're a giant mass of water!_

"Hey! Ow!" I heard Rikku exclaim.

_There's more to it than that, Cynyr._

With that said, Shadow attacked me next and I stumbled back as I was hit. Yuna immediately healed me and then Rikku. Now, I charged at Shadow, my sword raised high above my head. _Smash! _Shadow cried out in pain and then growled with frustration.

_Watch it, Cynyr, I have something that you might very well treasure to your heart! _I scoffed quietly to myself as this as I heard Lulu begin to cast a spell.

_Like what? _Shadow immediately began to laugh as he dodged Lulu's spells. _Do you have any idea how I regenerate and become more powerful? _He asked. I heard Thundaga crash down on him and he hissed in anger before throwing one of his own spells at her.

Before I could answer Shadow, he continued to speak. _My power comes from the shadow's I steal from other beings. Whether it be humans or fiends. Not only do I become more powerful, I can also control those I have stolen with my mind! _He began to laugh loudly again.

Lulu cast a spell again, this time hitting him several times. He cried out and then turned to her. _That's it! She goes first! _

Before he could make a move I ran at full speed towards Shadow, then brought my sword down on him. _Argh! _He turned back to me and I glowered at him angrily. _You're a wretch! _He screamed.

_And you're a big sack of stupid! What makes you think I'll let you steal the lives of my friends! _

"Kimahri!" I heard Tidus shout, and the two of them switched places. Meanwhile, Shadow was laughing notoriously like he had done something most evil.

_I believe I have already done so, Cynyr. _

_Done what?_

_I've taken the life a young man...and I'll give you a hint of who it is. _

Kimahri roared as he charged at the mass of water adn laid several hits on Shadow. He shot back at Kimahri and then turned back to me.

_He killed your best friend. _I almost gasped aloud as I realized, now, who Shadow was talking about. My eyes grew wide and the fire inside me raged as it ran through my veins boiling hot.

_Rin! How dare you! You're a LIAR! _With that, I charged forward, my sword held up high as Shadow began to laugh loudly like a maniac.

"Cynyr! No!" Auron suddenly shouted, but it was too late. I had jumped into the air with my sword pointed dowwards, getting ready to strike.

_Time to die. _We both thought, and I was suddenly thrown to ground and something heavy lay on top of me. I groaned in pain and then felt the heavy weight move.

Suddenly, I was grabbed from the ground and Auron's deep voice called to me sternly.

"When I give a warning, you best listen."

"What are you talking about?"

"You were almost killed, Cynyr." I was about to ask how this was possible when Lulu suddenly shouted at us from the battle line.

"You two! Get back here now!" We immediately turned and ran back into battle.

_Back so soon? Well, the party was just getting started! _Shadow laughed and I heard Rikku scream in agony. I turned in Rikku's direction and was about to charge at Shadow when Lulu attacked him first.

"Yuna!" Lulu shouted and I heard Rikku being taken away as Yuna healed her and Wakka took her place.

"Take this, ya!" Wakka shouted. _Pathetic. _Shadow had easily blocked Wakka's hit and then I suddenly heard Auorn gasp in pain and then he fell on one knee beside me. _Stop! _I thought loudly as Shadow began to laugh again.

"Auron!" I gasped as I shot towards Shadow. Like lightening, I raised my sword high above my head and then slashed through Shadow deeply. He backed off quickly as he began to growl in pain, then he spoke.

_Auron is it? Is he your favorite? _Shadow laughed and I clenched my teeth in anger, the power surging through my body once more. _What's this feeling? It's different. I don't understand what's going on!_

I heard Yuna come up and heal Auron and then she cast immune on all of us before finally stepping away. I clenched my fist and held tightly to my sword with the other hand, glowering in Shadow's direction.

_You're going down, Shadow!_

* * *

><p>Go Cynyr!<p>

I know this was kind of a short chapter (at least, that's what it felt like to me.) and at first it wasn't. But that was when the whole thing was a giant mess and it needed some cleaning up.

Still, it was exciting and there is more yet to come in the next chapter. :) Hope you enjoyed this!

Please Review. It's always heart warming to hear what others think of my work.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **Square owns the game. I don't. I own my characters and creatures.

Just a tad bit of drama in this chapter. ;) Don't worry, you'll like it.

Enjoy this next exciting chapter, everyone!

* * *

><p><strong>Cynyr's Power<strong>

"Guys!" I shouted. "Lets all hit Sh- the fiend all at once!" I suggested, almost slipping up his name.

"Won't that be dangerous?" Wakka asked.

"We haven't gotten anywhere so far…I say we try it." I replied.

"I agree!" Tidus shouted as he stood several feet away from me.

_Idiots! Do you really think you can defeat me by attacking me all at once? _Shadow exclaimed, but I ignored him.

"Yeah! Lets give it a shot!" Rikku joined in.

"Then, lets do this!" I shouted as I punched the air and Tidus gave a loud, "yeah!" Now, the fire was burning inside me like gasoline gone wild, my heart seeming to distribute it throughout my entire body. Shadow laughed the whole time and I clenched my teeth in determination.

"Now!" I shouted and we all ran forward at full speed, our weapons high above our heads. Tidus, Kimarhi, Auron, and I jumped high into the air while Lulu and Rikku cast their magic from below. Meanwhile, Wakka stood back with Yuna at a safe distance.

Suddenly, as my sword crashed down upon the fiend I felt it jolt and something powerful shot out like a bolt of lightening. There was a loud _boom _that followed, then, an invisible force suddenly pushed me back, hard.

All was silent.

When I awoke, my whole body screamed in pain and I moaned as I slowly began to rise. A wave of dizziness hit me and I barely caught myself as I started to fall back.

"Cynyr! Are you alright?" Yuna suddenly asked as I heard her footsteps approach me. I heard other footsteps and realized it was Lulu and Wakka.

"Dude, what happened?" Wakka marveled. Suddenly, I felt the Cura wash over me as Yuna healed me and I slowly began to rise.

"Where are the others?" I asked as I began to stand.

"I've healed the others, and Rikku's…sleeping." Yuna explained slowly.

"She was knocked out from that huge energy blast." Lulu added. "Luckily, she wasn't injured to badly and Yuna was able to heal her." My eyes grew wide in surprise at this news.

_An energy blast? Rikku? Oh, I hope she's okay. _

"I'm really sorry-"

"You should be."

I almost jumped five feet in the air at the sound of Auron's harsh voice, and he approached me fast.

"You could have gotten yourself killed after pulling that little stunt." I sighed as I turned my head in his direction.

"Is this about you trying to stop me from taking a hit to that fiend earlier?"

"I saved your life."

"And I was saving Yuna's!" I pointed out.

"Hey, guys." Tidus began slowly from close by.

"You were putting not only yourself in danger, but the rest of us." Auron continued. "Not only from earlier but when we all attacked the fiend at once."

"That wasn't my intention! I was only fighting like the rest of you!" I exclaimed in exasperation.

"You were being careless as always."

"How was I being careless?" My voice rose as I said this.

"Um, guys?" Tidus tried again and I could hear the others shuffle uncomfortably behind me.

"That fiend put up a force field when you were about to drive your sword in. If I hadn't gotten there in time you would have _died._" Auron stressed, and I could hear the frustration in his voice.

"That explains _nothing!_" I exclaimed in anger.

"Uh…guys?" Tidus squeaked.

"You can't just jump in like that when you-"

"Why not!" I cut him off as I clenched my fists at my sides.

"Because you're blind!" Auron practically roared, and I took a step back in surprise.

Like an anchor, silence fell with a loud thud and no one spoke for several _long _seconds. No one dared move or even breathed to loudly.

My face was a mask of shock and anger all mixed into one horrible expression that read _death _as Auron and I stood there glaring at one another. In some ways, yes, Auron _was _right, but in others he wasn't. Yes, I could have easily broken my neck if I had hit the force field, but there was no need for scolding me like I was a child.

On top of that, he had shoved the fact that I was blind in my face like I didn't already know, and that made me even more furious.

Before anyone could say or do anything, I quickly grabbed my sword and swung so hard that I cut the air with a loud whistle. Auron unsheathed his a second after, but a second too late.

With an ear piercing _clang _my sword met his, and with so much force that his sword was torn from his grasp. His blade went screaming through the air like a missal and I jabbed my sword at his chest. Everyone gasped in surprise and Tidus let out a, "whoa!" Then, there was a splash as his katana landed several yards away in a puddle of water.

I glowered at Auron as I purposefully pushed my blade into his chest a little more then needed, and he stood there stock still. Breathing heavily I began to speak in a low and dangerous voice.

"I may be blind…but I can do just about anything you guys can." I heard Auron open his mouth to say something, but I wouldn't allow it.

"I saved _all _of your lives…more than you know." With these last words I drew my blade away and sheathed it back at my waist.

Then, I turned on my heel and sauntered out of the hollowed out place and stood outside with my arms crossed.

_I saved everyone's life who has one! Cause, oh, yeah, Auron's a freaking unsent! _I thought angrily.

_You're letting your emotions run wild, Cynyr. You may be human, but it gives you no excuse for letting them get out of hand. _Ida replied sternly.

I glowered at the ground and leaned back against a tree in frustration. "He started it…" I muttered, but I knew deep down that Ida was right. Several minutes later I heard footsteps approaching from inside the opening.

I stood away from my tree and waited for them to come near. From the sound of the footsteps I could tell they were female and I relaxed a little.

Then, the footsteps came to a halt as the woman stopped beside me.

"Cynyr." Yuna's voice said softly, and I turned my head in her direction, but I said nothing.

"Please don't be too angry with Auron…he's just…trying to protect all of us." _Yeah, well he does too much of it. Ever since the accident he hasn't shut up yet. He needs to worry about himself every once in a while._

"I think you did what you thought was best," Yuna began again, "and I'm glad, but…try to be a little more careful. I wouldn't want to lose you, Cynyr." Then, she smiled.

"I know this is probably going to sound crazy but…you're like a big sister to me, so I wouldn't want to lose you." I slowly turned my head away from her as I let this sink in. _A sister, huh? _I smiled a small smile._ What does that make me to Auron? A rock in his shoe?_

Several seconds of silence passed between us, and I finally spoke.

"Do you…really think of me as a sister?" Yuna looked up at me and was quiet a moment before smiling.

"Yes. In a way…I kind of look up to you." I couldn't help but smile a little at this, and I turned back to her.

"So, what was it that Tidus was trying to say throughout that whole argument?" Yuna suddenly began to laugh.

"Oh, he wanted to show us a sphere that he found in the water where we fought the fiend." Now, I began to laugh.

"That sounds so much like Tidus…" I said while shaking my head. Yuna giggled, then began to turn.

"Well, I'll go and get the others and we can start back on the road." I nodded and listened as she walked away before leaving the tree and walking out on the road and stopped. When the others had joined they were all very quiet.

Only Rikku acted like nothing had happened, for she was the only one who hadn't heard the argument.

"Why's everyone so quiet?" She suddenly asked, and there was a long silence before Tidus finally answered her for us.

"We're still stunned by how we all killed that water fiend."

"Oh, I know! It was totally awesome! We all just went WHAM! And then there was this BOOM! And this huge energy ball of light just exploded and killed the fiend!" _Thanks Tidus…thanks Rikku. As if I needed a reminder._

"By the way…what caused that ball of energy?" Rikku asked, but no one answered. _I think…it was me. _I thought as I nervously bit my lip._ But, how did I do that? Was it all that power I felt inside me? Ida, is this a new gift I didn't know about? _

Ida was silent for several seconds before she answered. _No. You've always had that gift. It's called Enerugi. Guard it well. You will only use it against Shadow. Nothing else. But Cynyr…never use that power again. Not for a while. _

I sighed quietly to myself. In a way, Auron _had_ been right in calling me careless. _I wasn't even trying to use that power…but still, from the way I felt, I knew something bad was about to happen, yet I didn't stop myself. _I sighed again. _Damn day._

As we continued down the road, for the most part, we were all quite. I began to worry that everyone suspected me to be the one who had created that ball of energy. Even though I had and it was kind of obviouse, I worried that everyone was suddenly afraid of me.

_What if they think I'm actually a threat to them? _

I bit my lip nervously, then, quickly discarded the idea. _Yuna just told me that I was like a big sister to her...and right now the tension is just to great for anyone to even try to overcome_.

After many more battles, we were about to head on up when we stopped at the sound of someone running and shouting at us from behind.

"Hey!"

It was man's voice, and when he stopped before us, sweaty and breathing heavily, he finally spoke.

"Have you seen Dona?"

"Dona? Can't say I have." Tidus replied with a shake of his head.

"What's up?" Wakka asked and the big man sighed.

"We got…separated on the way here. Damn it all! I've got to find her!" He exclaimed suddenly in frustration. _I couldn't blame him. She'll probably chew him out once he does find her. Poor guy._

"Calm Down." Auron said as he walked up. _You're the last one to talk._

"But- if anything happens to her-"

"Running around in a panic won't help. Right now you have to keep cool and search." Auron said calmly.

"But-"

"Guard your emotions and then guard your summoner." _Ha! Try taking your own advise, Auron._

"Hmm…" Barthello began, "you're right."

"Shall we search, then?" Auron asked, but Barthello shook his head.

"No…I've taken up enough of your time. Thank you, Sir Auron." Then, without another word, Barthello turned and fled in search of Dona. As we began to turn, I flinched when I felt someone suddenly brush by me and I realized it was Rikku.

"Hmm, what's up?" Wakka asked as Rikku stopped short.

"Oh, I was just going to wish him good luck." She said this nervously and I suspected something, but I pushed it from my mind as we continued on up the road.

Then, we stopped again. The ground was shaking and growing more violent as a roar followed. We all withdrew out weapons as we braced ourselves for what was to come, and it came ever louder.

"Watch out!" Lulu exclaimed.

"Whoa! What's that?" Tidus asked.

"A Chimera." Auron replied before walking calmly up to the front. The Chimera roared again before coming to a halt before us and pounded the ground with a mighty fist, causing the ground to shake again.

"Whoa!" Rikku exclaimed as she stumbled back and bumped into me. As a result, I stumbled backwards and fell hard on my backside as she landed on top of me.

"Ow!" I gasped.

"Oh, sorry!" She exclaimed as she quickly got up, then leaned over to help me up.

"Be on your guard, Rikku." I advised as I nodded her a thanks, then, I went forward with the others.

"Right O!" Rikku replied happily and followed me to the front line. I stood up at the front next to Lulu while Rikku stood on my other side next to Auron. There was still a bit of tension between us, and I knew I should have left the Chimera to the others, but instead I regarded common sense and engaged myself in battle anyway.

"Here it goes!" I heard Rikku exclaim as she got ready to attack. When she ran up I heard a small explosion go off and she cursed herself in Al Bhed as she found this ineffective to the Chimera.

The fiend roared and started for Lulu who jumped back before attacking it next with a spell.

"Thundaga!" She shouted and lighting shot out at the creature, wounding it immediately. Now, it was my turn to attack. I lifted my sword and charged at the fiend, giving it a heavy blow to the head. This angered it and it roared in rage from the pain I had inflicted upon it.

"Whoa, it's mad!" Rikku commented.

"Humph!"

I heard Auron run forward, and then the sound of his katana as he swung hard at the beast. The fiend was slowly weakening but it attacked Auron, who hadn't been able to block him, and then Lulu. She seemed angry about this and finished it off with a series of Thundaga.

"Right. Lets go." Lulu said as she took in a deep breath, then began to walk away. Two hours later the air became more and more colder, and soon we found ourselves out of the Forest and into the snow. Our footsteps crunched as we walked on the freshly fallen snow and the bitter wind nipped at our faces.

As a result, Rikku and I were _not_ happy campers. She wearing an orange tank top and green short shorts while I wore a tank top and shorts as well. The only difference was my clothing was covered by armor, which didn't really help. _Well, this sucks. _

"I'm cold!" Rikku exclaimed.

"Yes, Rikku. We all are." Tidus pointed out.

"Nuh huh," Rikku began, "not all of us."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, just look over at hunky dory over there in his big red coat!" As she said this, I could tell that most everyone had looked over in Auron's direction. _I bet he's as warm as a toaster strudel._

"Sorry if I'm more prepared than the rest of you." Auron remarked and Rikku sighed with frustration. _Come to think of it, most of us are wearing summer clothing…besides Auron, of course. _

"Oh, thank goodness! A warm and cozy Travel Agency!" Rikku suddenly exclaimed, and our footsteps came to a halt.

"We'll only stay long enough to stock up on what we need. Then, we're leaving." Auron retorted before walking ahead. I rubbed my arms as I followed the others, hearing Rikku mutter under her breath about how big of a meanie Auron was.

We were all grateful for the warmth that greeted us once we got inside the Inn, but knowing we wouldn't be staying long disheartened us, so, we decided to get the things we needed as slowly as possible.

Auron saw this coming.

"We'll be leaving in fifteen minutes, so don't waste time." I couldn't help but roll my eyes. He had the stick up his butt again. _I guess he's still pretty angry at me._

Everyone seemed just as disappointed as Rikku as she sighed heavily from a corner of the room, searching for items she could use in battle. I got what I need. I refilled my canteen, bought more dried meat and a few more potions. I hadn't used the others that I had gotten from last time, but I had the feeling I might need them later.

"It's freezing out there, ya." I heard Wakka say to Lulu as I began to walk over to one of the windows. There was a window bench there and I sat down with a small sigh. _Yay. Five more minutes before bossy britches starts calling us out. _

"Hey, Cynyr!" I turned to the sound of Rikku's voice and heard her footsteps as she walked up to me.

"How's life?"

"Cold and difficult." I muttered with a half smile in her direction.

"Yeah…so I was wondering," she began to lower her voice and I leaned in a little, "are you and Auron not talking to each other?" I drew my head back and blinked in surprise.

"Um…"

"Tidus told me a little about it back in the forest." Rikku whispered.

"Right…yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Why aren't you guys talking? How'd you guys get in a fight? I thought you guys liked each other?" Rikku whispered. I raised a brow.

"Uh…I'd rather not talk about it." Rikku placed her hands on the bench next to me and leaned really close to my face.

"Please!" She whispered in a high tone. I sighed and shook my head.

"Sorry, but it's kind of personal…besides, it's not that big of a deal." I said with a shrug. Rikku opened her mouth to say more, but Sergeant Auron got up and began his orders.

"Lets go."

We all trudged out into the snow again, following Auron as he walked up at the front. No one spoke as we crunched our way through the snow, the cold seeming to freeze our brains even. Suddenly, I heard another set of footsteps approaching us and we all stopped at the sound of Tromell's voice.

"Lady Yuna, we've been expecting you." He began with a smile. "We were surprised you had decided to come so soon. A pleasant surprise, of course. Lord Seymour waits at the Temple for your arrival."

"If I may ask…" Yuna began, "if I am to marry Lord Seymour will he let me continue my Pilgrimage?"

"But of course! I'm sure he wants nothing more." At this, Yuna turned to the rest of us.

"I-" She began, but Auron cut her off.

"We're all with you. Do as you will." She seemed to nod at this.

"Yes. Good-bye."

"Well, we must follow Guado tradition." Tromell began. "I'll have to ask you to stay here a little while longer. I'll send someone to escort you to the Temple." _What kind of lame tradition is that! I say we come along to! _Unfortunately, Yuna and Tromell began to turn and walk away as we continued to stand there in the snow.

_Lovely._

"Yuna!" I heard Tidus shout as he walked forward. Then, he whistled loudly at her and I stood there in confusion. _I'm guessing that means something between them. _As Tidus was walking back to us we suddenly turned to the sound of engines and then shouts from men.

"Oh no!" Rikku exclaimed.

"The Al Bhed!" Wakka shouted, and he began to run down a snow drift. The rest of us followed, withdrawing our weapons as we met the Al Bhed on their machina on the ice.

Yuna and Tromell stood close by and Tromell began to thank us and turn away with Yuna, but she quickly ran to us. "Lady Yuna!" Tromell exclaimed in surprise, but she didn't say anything. She didn't have to. She was going to fight with us no matter what. I smiled.

"Rikku!" One the Al Bhed suddenly shouted down from a hilltop. We turned to Rikku and then the man who then began to speak to her in Al Bhed.

Suddenly, Rikku began to answer back and I turned my head in her direction. _So she's going to stay with Yuna? Interesting…I wonder what Wakka's going to say. He can't be so stupid that he won't realize she's an Al Bhed now. _

Then, there was a loud bang and we jumped back as a large machina whirred before us, coughing and sputtering as it was set out to attack us.

"All right! Lets tear this thing a part!" Tidus exclaimed as he ran forward, grabbing hold of my arm as he brought me with him.

"Come on, Cynyr! You're helping!"

_Tidus! Are you TRYING to get yourself killed? And I'm not talking about the machina, I'm talking about Auron! _Still a little surprised by his actions I stood on his left as Auron, unfortunately, stood on my left. Wakka drew up on the other side of Tidus and he took the first hit.

Auron attacked next and I heard the metal from the machina grind as it began to roar a little louder. Before any of the rest of us could attack next, the machina did so first. _Ow! Shit, that hurt. _Yuna came up from behind us and immediately healed us before asking us to step away.

"I'll handle this." She said softly as she began to summon Ixion. Lightening struck from the sky and Rikku, of course, screamed, before the giant horse leapt from the sky and landed with a loud thud upon the ground next to Yuna.

Electricity immediately shot out from the horse's horn and zapped the machina several times. Somehow, though, it continued to thrive and attacked the rest of us again. So, Yuna let her aeon go and we drew back up to fight.

Now, I ran and struck the machina, causing it to cough and sputter again. Fortunately, it was weaker now from Ixion so it would be easier to defeat.

"My turn!" Tidus exclaimed before running forward and laying a hit as well. Then, the machina whirred and began to attack Tidus.

He tried to jump away from its attack, but while doing so he knocked into me and we both toppled over in the snow.

"Hey!" I shouted. _That's the second time today!_

"Whoa! Sorry about that!" Tidus exclaimed quickly as he began to get up.

"Tidus!" Auron shouted angrily and he immediately jumped up before helping me up off the ground. _Why is that everyone keeps knocking me over! I feel like a rock in the road that everyone is oblivious to and trips over! Ugh! _

"Watch out, ya!" Wakka shouted as he threw his Blitzball and then Auron attacked it with a final blow, causing it to malfunction and blow up.

Breathing heavily, we stood back and were about to leave when we heard the same Al Bhed man call down to Rikku again. She answered him and then he finally left after yelling that he was going to tell Cid. As we turned and began to put our weapons away, Yuna finally left with Tromell.

"How come you speak Al Bhed?"

Everyone turned to the sound of Wakka's questioned and knew we wouldn't be able to get Rikku out of this situation.

"Because…" She began hesitantly, "I'm Al Bhed…and that…was my brother."

"You knew?" Apparently, speaking to all of us as his voice was directed away from Rikku.

"We knew you'd be upset." Lulu defended, and Wakka immediately became _upset. _

"This is great. I can't believe I've been traveling with an Al Bhed, a heathen!" Wakka exclaimed rather harshly.

"You're wrong," Rikku piped up in her defense, "we have nothing against Yevon."

"But, you Al Bhed use the forbidden machina!" _Oh, boy. Here we go again._ "You know what that means?" Wakka continued. "Sin was born because people use machina!"

"You got proof? Show me proof!"

"It's in Yevon's teachings- oh, not that you know!" Wakka exclaimed quickly, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's not good enough! Yevon says this, Yevon says that. Can't you ever think for yourself!" Rikku exclaimed in exasperation.

"Well then you tell me. Where did Sin come from, huh?"

"I- I don't know!" Rikku stammered.

"Humph. You bad mouth Yevon and that's all you can come up with."

"But- that doesn't mean you have to do whatever they say without thinking." Rikku said in a pleading voice. "Nothing will ever change that way."

"Nothing has to change!" Wakka said defiantly.

"You want Sin to keep coming back? There might be a way to stop it, you know."

"If we atone for our past mistakes, Sin will go away."

"When? How?" Rikku asked.

"If we keep faith in Yevon!" Rikku sighed.

"Why do I even bother?" She muttered.

"Rikku." Auron's gruff voice called out and she turned.

"Will this move?"

"We're not using that are we?" Wakka asked in astonishment, referring to the snow sliders. "Wait. Sir Auron isn't Al Bhed too is he?" I rolled my eyes at this.

"Come on, Wakka!" Tidus sighed.

"What!"

"I mean…getting mad just because you found out about Rikku being an Al Bhed- you got along fine until now didn't you?"

"That's different."

"Well, I don't claim to know that much about Spira, or the Al Bhed. But I know Rikku's a good person. She's just Rikku!" He exclaimed.

"Lu?" Wakka turned to Lulu.

"Just think of this as an opportunity to getting to know the Al Bhed."

"Bah!" Wakka turned and began to walk off and the rest of us turned the machina snow sleds that stood around, ready to be used. _I wonder how many there are of these things… _I mused.

"Alright! Lets ride!" Tidus shouted and I heard one of the snow sliders being flipped with a loud thud.

"Are you sure you know how to drive one of these things?" Rikku asked with uncertainty, and I heard Kimahri start his up.

"Better than Kimahri does." Tidus muttered, and walked over to his and started the engine as well.

The two of them zoomed off on the snow and I took a step forward with uncertainty as I heard another engine roar to life and both Rikku and Lulu were gone. I crossed my arms over my chest as I heard the last engine roar to life and sighed. _Everyone left a little to quickly. _I thought suspiciously.

"Are you going to walk or are you getting on?" Auron asked. I frowned slightly then slowly walked towards the machina. _This was planned… _I thought bitterly.

I reached out with a hand and felt cool metal on my fingertip, then, I stepped up and was about to get on when Auron suddenly called out.

"Watch it-" But it was too late. I jumped back as a hot pipe touched the inside of my thigh, near my knee. I sucked in a breath from the pain and heard Auron walk up to me.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid me! _

"Here." Auron began, and he suddenly reached down with a hand and touched the burned skin on my leg. In seconds the burning feeling was gone and Auron removed his hand.

"I'm-" I began, but Auron suddenly grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up. I clutched his forearms as he began to set me down and I realized I was sitting on the machina. My face burned with embarrassment as he got on in front of me, but he didn't say anything.

"You might want to hang on." Auron advised as he revved the engine. _To what? _I thought, then gasped and grabbed hold of his waist as the sled jerked forward and began to pick up speed. I glared at his back as I loosened my grip a little, wanting more than anything to throw him off the sled.

_He's doing this on purpose! Argh, you little- _

"Listen," Auron began before I could finish my thought, "what I said back in the Forest wasn't meant to be an insult." _Liar._

"I was just concerned for everyone's safety." _Liar, liar. _Suddenly, he began to laugh and for a moment I thought he had read my thoughts.

"You _did _surprise me when you knocked my sword out of my hands. You had a lot of force behind that blde of yours." He chuckled and slowly smiled.

"Are you...complementing me?" I asked slowly adn I heard him smile.

"Yes." He paused. "I guess what I'm also trying to say is...I'm sorry." My smiled grew a little bigger and I finally spoke.

"I'll forgive you…this time." Auron chuckled lightly.

"Just…promise me something." I added. "Please don't _ever _trip over me like Rikku and Tidus have already done." Auron began to laugh at this and I smiled with amusement when hearing it.

"It's a promise."

* * *

><p>Aw! They're slowly becoming getting closer. :)<p>

I have to say, I had some difficulty with writing the part when Cynyr whips out her sword and attacks Auron. It took me several attempts to write it out in a way that was both subtle and dramatic.

I actually found their fight hilarious. Especially with Tidus in the back ground. :P Poor Tidus.

Also, just something to let you all know about...everything will make sense in the end of this story. If you get a little confused, don't worry about it because everything will be revealed and you'll be like, "ohhhhhhh!"

Anyways, please review what you think! :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing! Only my characters and my stuff.

Just want to thank ALL my awesome reviewers! You are so awesome for thinking my story is awesome! XD I'm really glad you guys like Cynyr. I was afraid you wouldn't...or somehting.

But, anyways, this story is only just beginning. There is a LOT more to come. Lots of unexpected scenes, suspense, drama, eventually romance, action...alot of it too.

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

><p><strong>Hostage<strong>

I stood shivering, wringing my hands nervously as I stood close behind Auron. We had come to a stretch of land, after getting off the snow sliders, that was two feet wide with a twenty foot drop on each side. This would lead us to the temple, but I was afraid to cross.

"We'll cross." Auron began to say and he took a step forward, but I didn't move. I was scared stiff, although I tried not to show it, he could see it on my face.

"Don't be afraid."

"How can I not?" I exclaimed as I hugged my arms against a cold breeze. I stood there glaring at Auron and he walked towards me.

"There's no way I can cross…I'll fall."

"No you won't. I'll make sure you don't."

"How?" I asked with a shrug.

"Either I can go first or you. We'll say close together. That way if you start to fall, I'll catch you." He explained, and I pondered on this a moment. _If he goes first…I'll be behind him, so if I were to fall he wouldn't have near enough time to catch me. If I were to go first he could keep an eye on me…but how do I know the road won't turn? _

"I…I think I'll go first." I said slowly. "But how will-"

"I'll guide you." Auron replied before I could ask my question.

"But-" I began again.

"Cynyr." I quickly shut up.

"Do you trust me?"

My heart skipped as the memory of the D'jose road came to my mind. Then, I smiled a small smile.

"Yes."

"Good." He said with his own smile, and I began to walk forward. As soon as I stepped out on the land bridge I heard Auron stand close to me and I relaxed a little. Just a little. He didn't say anything and I slowly began to make my way out on the bridge.

The entire time I felt as though I might just step right over the edge, or when my feet touched ice, I thought I might slip and fall._ Just…calm down. Auron's behind you. He'll catch you… _

I trailed off as I suddenly got a mental image of Auron grabbing me around the waist as I was about to fall. I immediately began to blush, my face hot as the cold winds blew my hair about my face. I was just glad he couldn't see me.

"How much farther?" I asked.

"We've only gone five yards." I bit my lip in embarrassment and lowered my head a little.

"Oh…"

I heard him chuckle with amusement and I felt my face get hot again, so I tried to walk a little faster.

"Turn a little to the left." Auron suddenly instructed, and I quickly moved my feet in that direction. We continued on in silence.

_At least Auron doesn't have to worry about slipping and falling and dying…he's already dead. _I swallowed hard at the sudden thought of _dead. _The more I thought about it the more sorrowful I became. _He's dead…and he hasn't told anyone. Not even me. Why…why does he have to be dead? _I licked at my dry lips and tried to push the thoughts from my mind.

Suddenly, my foot slipped on a patch of ice and I felt empty air beneath it. I gasped as I held my hands out in front of me and my stomach flipped with a sickening feeling. Then, felt strong hands grab me around the waist. My own hands immediately shot up to grab hold of his as he carefully brought me away from the edge.

My heart was pounding so fast inside my chest I thought it would burst. My eyes wide in fear as I stood frozen in front of Auron.

"Are you alright?" Auron asked close to my ear. I flinched, not expecting this and he immediately drew away, letting go of my waist. I spun around to face him.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize-"

"It's fine. You didn't know there was a patch of ice there."

I immediately grew quiet. That wasn't what I had been about to apologize for, but in any case I just nodded and turned back to the road.

"We're almost there." Auron assured me as we continued on.

"Thank you…for catching me."

I heard him smile, but that was all and several minutes later we reached the end of the land bridge and had finally come to the temple. I sighed in relief and Auron began to walk past me. I quickly caught up with him, sticking close behind him so I wouldn't trip over something and fall on my face.

_He's been really nice to me lately..._

Suddenly, Auron stopped without warning and I bumped into him immediately. I stumbled back and rubbed my nose as I glared up at Auron in slight annoyance.

"Um…ow." I heard him turn to me and I turned my head up so I might be looking at his face.

"Add something else to your promise. Warn me when you're about to stop." I said as I crossed my arms.

"Huh. Why do you stand so close?"

I was caught off guard and for a moment I became flustered. Then, I glowered.

"Do you want me to trip and fall on my face every ten seconds?"

"Humph." With that, he turned and I began to follow him again, but not so close as before. _Wait, why did he stop anyway?_

* * *

><p>"Hey, it's about time." Tidus exclaimed as we entered the temple. "What'd you guys do, argue on the way here?" I immediately shot Tidus a look and he took a step back as Wakka's laugh rang off the stone walls.<p>

"You guys just gave the same look at Tidus, ya!"

"Wakka. We're in a temple." Lulu hissed and Wakka immediately shut up.

"Oh. Oops…sorry."

She sighed and I had to stop myself from laughing. Then, we all began to walk toward the stairs that would lead us to the Cloister of Trials. Just as we reached them, though, there was a loud bang and we all turned to a woman who began to cry out.

"A sphere of Lord Jyscal in Lady Yuna's room!" Auron immediately sauntered in the direction the room was as the rest of us quickly followed.

"Why would the lady summoner have such a thing?" I heard the woman whisper as I walked past. _Sounds more like you're a nosy person. _

Nonetheless, our questions were all answered once we reached the room and listened to the sphere. Upon hearing the words, "killed by my own son," and "my son has become twisted and will surely bring destruction to Spira," we all found this rather disturbing, yet not very surprising.

"Wonderful." Auron said sarcastically.

"Will Yunie be alright?" Rikke asked in a timid voice.

"Huh, without us, no." Auron then walked out of the room and we began to follow quickly and quietly. Wakka, Lulu, and Tidus stayed behind, saying something but I didn't stay to hear.

We got to the stairs and soon the others were following close behind. A guard that stood by the door suddenly asked us to halt, but before the guard to say anymore Kimahri growled and shoved the man out of the way. Pushing the door open, Kimahri fled through and the rest of us quickly followed into the icy room.

I heard some of the others pass me up and I suddenly stopped as I heard Auron speak from behind me.

"We will protect Yuna from anyone. Even a maester."

Wakka began to laugh nervously.

"Ugh, this can't be happening." Then I heard the rustle of Lulu's skirts as she stopped in front of them.

"If he is truly at fault, it must be done." There was a long silence, and then we turned to walk down the rest of the hall to another set of doors.

Upon entering, I heard footsteps run forward then abruptly stop.

"Seymour!" Tidus shouted from the front.

"Please, be silent!" Seymour spoke in an irritated voice, "Lady Yuna prays to the Fayth."

"Make me!" Tidus retorted, and then Seymour turned and I could hear his quick footsteps as he walked down a set of stairs and towards Tidus.

_Nice going Tidus. _

Before either man could say or do anything, the doors to the Fayth room opened and Yuna emerged with a gasp.

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted.

"But, why?" She pleaded before walking down to us.

"We saw Jyscal's sphere."

"You killed him." Auron growled.

"What of it?" Seymour retorted nonchalantly, "Lady Yuna, surely you knew of these things, did you not?" Yuna seemed to nod and Seymour spoke again.

"Then why did you come?"

"I- uh- I came to stop you." Yuna said nervously as she turned to face Seymour.

"So, you came to punish me then." Slowly, he began to turn to face us again and when he had Yuna suddenly took a step back. _What's going on? _

"Such a pity." Seymour said rather irritably. At this we immediately stepped up around Yuna protectively.

"Ah, of course. Protect the summoner even at the cost of one's life. The code of the guardian. How admirable." Seymour smirked. "Well, if you're offering your lives…I will have to take them." There was several footsteps as I heard some of his guards step up towards us and we all immediately withdrew our weapons.

"Maester Seymour!" Yuna suddenly began in a stronger voice. We turned a little and listened as she spoke. "I trust my guardians with my life, but they are also my friends and I won't stand by and watch them be hurt." Suddenly, she pulled out her staff

"I will fight you to!" She exclaimed.

"All right!" Tidus said with excitement.

"Maester Seymour!" Wakka suddenly cried out in a pleading tone. _Ugh! Shut up Wakka! You're embarrassing yourself! _

"So be it!" Seymour seethed, ignoring Wakka's outburst. With that, we engaged into battle. Kimahri, Yuna, and Tidus went up first.

"You may be a maester, but I will still fight." Yuna exclaimed.

"You're eyes!" Seymour suddenly began, "they burn with resolve…beautiful." He said this in a deep and hushed voice, causing us all to be disgusted.

"I knew you were bad news the first time I saw you!" Tidus shouted.

"Oh, my sincerest apology!" Seymour said with sarcasm.

"Maester Seymour!" Wakka cried out again, "we must stop this!" Seymour was silent and Wakka growled with frustration in his throat.

"I've had enough of this!" I exclaimed loudly, and before anyone could do or say anything I ran forward with my sword raised high. Then, I swung hard at Seymour, my blade crashing against a force field he held up with his hand and I glared up at him.

"Ah, Cynyr…you were such an…interesting woman." Seymour said slowly as I bared down on him.

"A pity you couldn't follow simply orders." Seymour smirked before suddenly throwing an invisible force upon me, knocking me to the ground.

"Cynyr!" I heard both Yuna and Tidus shout, then Tidus ran up to me and grabbed my arm. I quickly stood and lifted my sword up, but instead of attacking him again, I spat in his direction.

"You disgust me!" I hissed, then turned away as Tidus charged forward next. Seymour laughed and blocked Tidus, then Kimahri ran forward and attacked one of the guards. This killed the Guado and it fell before dispersing into a puff of Pyerflies.

Now, it was Seymour's turn and he immediately cast Blizzera on Wakka and Tidus. The two of them were hit and weakened but Wakka pulled out, replaced by Lulu who cast Thundera on the other guard. Then, Tidus pulled out, calling Auron's name and he took his place.

I heard Auron attack Seymour, actually wounding Seymour and the rest of us took this advantage to attack as well. First, Lulu cast Thundera, Tidus took a hit, Wakka threw his blitzball, and Rikku jumped over to steal a few items from him.

"You will all die!" Seymour exclaimed before healing himself. Now, I ran forward, struck and then struck again followed by the sounds of Seymour's groans of pain. Music to my ears. Suddenly, he shot his hand towards me and tried to dodge him, but he had grabbed me around the throat.

"Got you!" He laughed. I grabbed at his hand, trying to pry his claws away, but he continued to squeeze me. I gasped for breath but my lungs remained empty as my heart pounded in my chest and lights danced in front of my eyes.

"Let her go!" I suddenly heard Auron shout, and I heard him run at full speed towards Seymour. Then, his sword struck Seymour and I felt him loosen his grip on me as he screamed in agony. As soon as he did I kicked at his stomach and he doubled over as I quickly escaped.

"Thanks." I breathed as I passed Auron, and rubbed my neck as I took my place back in line. Yuna healed me and the rest of us before finally stepping up herself.

"I'm summoning." She called, and we all stepped back as she began to summon her newest Aeon, Shiva. A cold wind suddenly blew in from everywhere at once, and the Aeon appeared next to Yuna. She was as silent as soft snow flakes falling on the ground. Then, she began to attack Seymour, who screamed in pain.

"That's it!" He exclaimed, "come Anima!"

Suddenly, the ground shook and there was the sound of chains as they were being cranked upwards. We all took a step back and braced ourselves as the ground continued to shake and then there was loud roaring scream as the Aeon emerged from the ground, chains clanging together around it.

"Kill them!" Seymour shouted angrily, and Anima roared before attacking Shiva. She was wounded and Yuna had her attack again, only differently. I heard Shiva jump into the air, spin and then land as several large objects pierced the ground like giant shards of glass at Anima.

Anima roared in pain, but Shiva wasn't down yet. With a snap of her fingers the crystals exploded and Anima was weakened and wounded immensely. Yuna let Shiva go and the rest of us returned to the front to finish Anima off. It didn't take long either.

Seymour was outraged by Anima's defeat and began to attack us all at once, several times. Most of us wounded now, Yuna quickly cast Cura on us and then an immunity shield.

She backed out, and Tidus ran forward, angrily slashing out at Seymour. He cried in pain and stumbled before slumping forward in agony. Now, I ran up and gave the final blow to his head.

He fell to his knees and Yuna, a little surprised, began to run towards him, but stopped.

"Yuna…you would pity me now?" Seymour said quietly. _Argh! Just die already. _Yuna didn't reply to him, so he fell back upon the floor with a loud thud. _Finally! _Now, Yuna ran to his side to kneel beside him, checking to make sure he was really dead.

I half expected him to open his eyes and shout, "boo!" or something. Fortunately, that didn't happen.

"Oh man, I can't believe we just killed a maester of Yevon." Wakka said in shock.

_Good riddance! _

"He's dead." Yuna said with a small nod and began to rise from the floor.

_Yes!_

Suddenly, the doors burst open and in came several Guaodo, including Tromell.

_Crap. _

"Lord Seymour! W-what happened here?" Tromell asked with shock as he started for his fallen maester.

"W-what have I done." Wakka muttered.

"Wait a minute! It's not our fault at all!" Tidus shouted. "Seymour struck first, he's the bad guy."

"Y-you did this?" Tromell asked as he turned to the rest of us.

_Great job you two. _

"Yuna, send him." Auron finally said as he began to walk away. I turned my head a little in his direction. _He's always walking away when she has to perform the sending…if he stayed he would surely be sent as well. _I thought bitterly.

"No, wait! Stop!" Tromell shouted in a shaky voice, and we all turned to him in surprise.

"Stay away from him, traitors!" He spat and then began to walk out, the guards dragging Seymour out behind him. As soon as they left I heard Yuna fall to her knees.

"Traitors!" She whispered to herself.

"We're finished, ya." Wakka added.

"Now wait just a minute!" Tidus began angrily, "Seymour's the bad guy, right? So, we'll just explain to everyone what happened!"

"It won't be that easy." Auron pointed out. "Lets get out of here." With that, we left through the Cloister of Trials and then on down the stairs in the main part of the temple. There stood the Guado and Tromell.

"Give us a chance to explain." Auron asked.

"No, there's no need," Tromell began, "I already know what I'll tell the other maesters."

"You're not letting us go." Tidus said from behind him.

"Let you go?" Tromell asked in amusement, "Lord Seymour would never forgive us if we did."

"Wait! Jyscals sphere!" Rikku shouted, "we can show it to them!"

"What, you mean this?" Tromell suddenly held up the sphere and there was the sound of glass shattering and we all gasped in surprise.

"The Guado take care of Guado affairs."

"Away!" Kimahri growled as he swung his spear around towards Tromell.

"Run!" Auron shouted and we all immediately did as we were told, pushing past all the guards roughly as we exited the temple, our footsteps crunching loudly in the snow. As I ran with everyone else I suddenly slowed when I remembered the land bridge and the others quickly ran past me.

_I can't cross it alone! _

Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm from behind and I gasped in surprise.

"Got you!"

I spun around and was immediately grabbed by another guard.

"Hey! No, let me go!" I shouted as I tried to pull away, but they held me fast.

"Tie her up." One said, and before I could protest my hands were forced behind my back as they were tied tightly together.

"Untie me, now!" I shouted even louder, hoping someone might hear me and come back for me, but I heard no one come. _Have they forgotten about me? _I thought frightfully as I struggled to get free of the Guado.

"Ah, how convenient." I heard Tromell's voice from afar and I stopped to turn my head in his direction. I heard his footsteps approach and then I gasped as I was grabbed by the hair and pulled closer to his face. He laughed a deep throaty laugh as he stared down at me.

"My, my…it appears that we've caught ourselves a _blind_ mouse." I growled with anger and spat at his face. He reared back, letting go of my hair and I was grabbed again by one of the guards and roughly pressed against him as I glowered in Tromell's direction.

"Ugh, you nasty creature!" Tromell exclaimed in disgust, wiping at his face.

"Nasty? _Creature!_" I screamed. "You're the nasty creature! You're a nasty, vile, idiotic, revolting piece of _shit! _Let. Me. Go. NOW!" Tromell ignored me and turned to the guard who held me. Tromell scowled.

"Cover her mouth. She'll attract fiends." As they were about to gag me he suddenly spoke again.

"Oh, and…take her sword. We wouldn't want her getting any ideas." He laughed and then my head was forced back as one of the guards quickly tied a gag around my mouth and the other took my sword. Now, I tried to kick at them, but this was immediately stopped as I was suddenly picked up and thrown like a sack of potatoes over the Guado's shoulder.

_No! This isn't fair! Where is everyone?_

"Let's move!" Tromell ordered, and the guards began to follow Tromell across the land bridge. Frightened immediately by the bridge, I quickly stilled as they crossed, fearing if I struggled I would fall from his shoulder and into the deep ravine.

_ Where is everyone? Why didn't they hear me? Are they okay? Could they have been attacked by fiends? _I thought worriedly as we crossed the rest of the way across the bridge. When I heard them walking normally I began to struggle again, but they held me too tightly for it to succeed. Suddenly, I began to hear voices and recognized them to be my fellow guardians.

"There she is, ya!"

"Hey!" Tidus shouted.

"Let her go!" Auron practically roared.

"Yeah!" Rikku agreed.

"Lady Cynyr!" Yuna gasped as I was thrown harshly to the ground.

"Oh, we'll give her back," Tromell began, "on one condition." I heard the others shift as they stood ready to attack at any minute.

"I'll gladly give back your little blind pet…so long as you surrender and go on trial without argue or question." I heard their feet shuffle hesitantly and I slowly moved my head upwards.

"If not…" Tromel continued, but trailed off as he suddenly grabbed another hand full of my hair and yanked me up roughly. I cried out in pain then gasped as I felt cold, sharp metal press against my throat. "We'll kill her." Tromell smirked with triumph next to me and I heard the others drawing out their weapons.

"That's stupid!" I heard Tidus shout. Tromell shrugged.

"An eye for an eye."

"I won't let you." Auron growled as he took a step closer.

_Auron..._

Suddenly, I was shoved back and quickly grabbed around the waist by one of the guards behind me. I gasped in surprise as they tightened their grip around me. Tromell chuckled as he threw the knife in my direction, the guard catching it to press against my throat threateningly.

"Do we have a deal?" Tromell asked again.

"Hell no!" Tidus shouted as he waved his sword. I clenched my teeth in determination as I shifted my weight to one foot.

"So, you would rather kill her?" Tromell was saying with slight surprise. With all my weight on one foot I used my other to kick up and behind me at the knee of the Guado. His knee buckled. "Hey." He growled, but before he could do anything I did the same to his other knee. He was on the ground in seconds.

"Grab her!" Tromell shouted angrily as I brought my tied hands up over my legs. I heard another guard run at me, swinging _my _sword towards me in a downward motion. I ducked as I ran towards him and stopped just under the blade as I held my hands up. In seconds the rope was cut and my hands were freed.

"Thanks." I smirked, then kicked the guard hard in the stomach.

"Cynyr. Catch!" Tidus shouted from behind me. I listened as his sword whistled through the air, but I didn't know when to grab it, so I waited for it to hit the ground. Suddenly, I heard footsteps from behind me and quickly turned to him instead. I swung my fist at his face, but he quickly caught it in his hand and I immediately kneed him in the crotch.

As he fell to the ground I heard Tidus's sword sink into the ground beside me and I quickly grabbed it while ducking as another guard ran at me. I heard the others behind me immediately take action and I heard the guard in front of me swing a sword at me. I ducked again and realized it was the same one who had my sword.

Now, the air was filled with battle noises as swords clashed, spells were cast, grunts and groans, shouts, and cries echoed around us.

Finally, I knocked my sword out of the guard's hand and pointed Tidus's sword at his chest. The Guado cried out in fear and quickly turned and fled. I smirked as I bent down and took my blade, then, I called out to Tidus.

"Your sword!" I shouted.

"Throw it!" Tidus called back. I hesitated at first, but then I swung the blade hard in his direction and- he caught it.

"Nice catch!" I shouted.

"Nice throw!"

Now, it was just Tromell and us. He stood with his knees knocking, fear in his voice as he spoke.

"Stop! Don't hurt me!" I couldn't help but laugh as I pointed my sword at his chest.

"Why not?" Tidus asked with a snort. Before Tromell could answer he suddenly turned and fled while we just stood back and watched- well in my case, I listened.

"Dirt bag!" Rikku called after him.

"Rikku!" Auron snapped, causing Rikku to squeak in fright then quickly shut up. Then, from behind us there was an enormous roar and the ground began to shake violently.

"Whoa!" Both Rikku and Tidus exclaimed as we all turned with our weapons ready.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's the Abominable Snowman!" Rikku shouted in awe.

_Right…_

The beast roared again and came stomping through the snow towards us. We immediately stood in our battle stances and began to fight. Auron, Lulu, and Rikku ran up first, giving the beast all they had. Lulu casting spells, Rikku stealing from it and using some of her techniques, and Auron wounding it with his large katana.

"Hey, I got a lot of stuff!" Rikku suddenly exclaimed after stealing from it.

"Rikku, pay attention." Lulu scolded.

"Sorry!"

Then, Lulu began to cast Thundera upon the beast and it growled loudly in pain, reminding me of a bear. Auron was about to take the next hit, but paused when the beast suddenly stumbled back and growled low in his throat. We tensed up as we waited for what it would do next.

Suddenly, with a huge fist, it pounded the ice beneath us, breaking it immediately with a loud _crack_. We all gasped as we felt the ground fall away from under us, then immediately went down with it.

* * *

><p>I really enjoyed writing this chapter for some reason. :) So, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.<p>

I loved the part when Wakka starts laughing in the temple and Lulu scolds him. It reminded me of a little kid at church or something. Haha

Anyways, please review what you think. I love to hear what everyone's opinion is. :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy X. My characters and creatures belong to me.

Thank you so much for the reviews! They make me smile each and every time! :D

So, I know the whole romance part has hardly showed its face...but don't worry cause I'm working on it. :) More moments with Cynyr and Auron to come!

I know you all are going to love this chapter. :)

* * *

><p><strong>Instant Heat<strong>

The freezing water was practically killing us as we stood or sat around beneath the ice, beneath the temple. We had killed a maester, almost killed several other Guado and now we were stuck under an ice block freezing to death. _It's just one thing right after the other. We just can't get a break, can we? _I sat on a large stone rock, once part of a building, with my knees drawn up to my chest.

_You've always got to be on your guard, Cynyr. _Ida said softly. _I know. There's just so much…first shadow, my blindness, Auron, Rin…_ I stopped as I suddenly thought of Rin and what Shadow had told me back in Macalania Forest. _If that's true…then I need to get his shadow back. _

_Shadow lives for power…and he takes whatever power he can from the lives of others. _Ida explained. _He cannot thrive without the will power of human's. _

"It's almost like he's a fiend." I whispered aloud. _How can I defeat him? And what about Rin? Does it mean that Rin is dead, now that Shadow has his shadow? _For several long seconds, Ida didn't answer and I became worried. _Shadow can control a person's mind once he has their shadow. The only way to save those he has stolen from is to destroy him once and for all. _

_And how do I do that? T_his time, there was no answer from Ida and I took it she had to leave. _I've got to find a way to save Rin. _I pondered. _Oh, that power! Enerugi. But…I still have to learn how to use it…but then, how can I do that, either! I guess that's also why he's after me too. I've got more power than any regular human…_

"Cynyr." I snapped my head up to attention.

"Auron," I began, "how is Yuna? And the others?"

"They're holding on their own. Yuna's resting…" I nodded silently as I absentmindedly raised a hand to my throat. The knife that Tromell had held to my throat had apparently cut me and now it was beginning to sting. Not only that, but my neck was a little bruised from when Seymour had tried to choke me. _I wonder how long we'll be down here._

"What's wrong?" Auron suddenly asked and I turned my head back up.

"Nothing." I said softly, but then I heard his footsteps slashing through the water towards me and he knelt down. I kept my hand over the wound.

"They hurt you."

"It's just a scratch."

"I should have known they would go after you-"

"Auron, it's fine. I'm here now…that's all that matters." I said softly but sternly. He was silent a moment and then he reached up. I felt my heart beat faster inside my chest and then his hand touched mine.

"Let me see it." He asked, and I hesitated a moment before dropping my hand. He remained silent until pressing gently on my neck, then began to murmur quietly to himself. Slowly, the pain faded, the wound healed over, and the bruise was but a memory.

When Auron removed his hand he didn't get up or speak. He just looked at me.

"Thanks." I said softly. _Why is he looking at me? What's he thinking? _I heard him move his hand again, but then he stopped and began to rise.

"Come on." Auron finally said and I slowly rose from my sitting position, wondering what he had been about to do.

"Do we have a plan on how to get out of here?" I asked as I stood next to him.

"We'll have to climb out." Auron replied before turning to walk in another direction. I quickly followed, our footsteps splashing as we walked through the freezing waters. While we walked, the voices of the Fayth slowly began to synchronize together in song as they sang softly down on us. I smiled a small smile to myself as I listened, memories of my childhood coming back to me.

Then, I shivered from the cold and stopped when I heard the others splashing noisily towards us, forming a group to discuss our situation.

"I wanted to confront Maester Seymour about Lord Jyscal." Yuna began to explain. "I wanted to convince him to turn himself in to Yevon's judgment."

"In exchange for marriage?" Lulu asked.

"Yes…if that's what it took." For several seconds there was just silence as we all looked at Yuna.

_It would have worked if Seymour wasn't so twisted in the head._

"So, what did Seymour say?" Tidus asked.

"He didn't…say anything." Her voice was full of disappointment and regret as she said this. I couldn't blame her. She thought she could negotiate with Seymour by herself, but her plan hadn't worked as she had hoped.

"Now- now I don't think it was even worth it. I should have told you what I was going to do." Yuna admitted solemnly.

"Enough!" Auron exclaimed suddenly and we all turned to him in surprise. "Dwelling in the past is futile."

"Hey! You don't have to say it like that!" Rikku scolded immediately.

"You want to waste time listening to her regrets?" He scowled. I raised a brow in surprise at this. _Calm down, Auron! _Rikku sighed.

"You don't have to say it like that." She muttered.

"We forgive you Yuna." I began as I crossed my arms. "But don't worry about it so much. It's all in the past."

"Yeah! It's okay Yunie!" Rikku chimed in and Yuna smiled a small smile.

"Our immediate concern is Yuna's Pilgrimage." Auron changed the subject as he walked a few steps away before turning back to Yuna.

"Are you willing to go on?"

"Yes." Yuna said with confidence. "But then…do you think Yevon will allow it?"

"The Fayth are the ones who give the summoners powers," Auron began, "not the temple or the teachings. If the temples try to stop us then we will defy Yevon if we must." This took us all back with a bit of surprise.

"Count me out." Wakka immediately said, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "We have to atone for the sins we've committed," He continued, "of course, it's not like I ever liked Maester Seymour, ya? No way I'll ever forgive him for killing Lord Jyscal and for trying to do us all in, you know. But still, the bunch of us going against Yevon? No way!"

"But still, we have transgressed and must face our punishment." Lulu pointed out.

"We must go to Bevelle." Yuna advised. "We must speak with Maester Mika and explain what has happened. There is no other way, I think." After a few seconds of silence, Wakka finally spoke.

"I agree." The rest of us nodded in agreement.

"Sir Auron?" Yuna turned to her red clad warrior.

"So it is decided?" Auron stated more than questioned.

"Will you come with us?" Yuna asked hopefully.

"I am the troublemaker after all." Auron replied. Tidus immediately agreed to this.

"Yeah! That's right! You can always count on Auron to complicate things."

"I never asked you to follow me."

"Hey- but that's what friends are for! Right?" Tidus exclaimed.

"Yep." Rikku replied. Finally, starting with Auron, we all turned and began to walk off in search of a way out.

"The singings' stopped." Lulu suddenly pointed out, and we all stood still and found this to be true. Suddenly, the ground beneath us began to shudder violently.

"There's something here!" Wakka exclaimed as the ground continued to shake. I maintained my balance the best I could, my knees slightly bent and my arms away from my body.

"The ground!" Auron shouted. _Duh!_ Abruptly, the ground stopped shuddering and there was the sound of deep breathing, like a huge creature near by breathing right above us. Yuna gasped and the air filled with a dull zapping sound.

"Sin!" Wakka shouted.

"The toxin! Watch out!" Lulu exclaimed as the zapping sound grew louder and more intense. Then, everything went silent.

* * *

><p>I stood alone in the darkness, but for some reason this darkness was different.<p>

My Fayth mother was there. She stood before me with a smile on her face. What shocked me was that I could see her. My hands flew to my face where I felt my eyes, then I looked down at my hands. Looking back at the Fayth, I called out to her.

"Mother!"

"My child, your journey has begun." She said softly, and I gave her a questioning look.

"What? You mean Yuna's Pilgrimage? Wait…do you mean that I have a story too?" She laughed lightly.

"Everyone has a story, my dear."

"But- what story? I've been here for ten years; nothing's changed! I've searched and searched for a new way of life- a new way to live- a reason to live!" I exclaimed in desperation.

"What you seek can only be found in your heart."

_My heart? Does she mean by what I want from life? _I looked at her curiously and was about to ask what she meant when I realized she was slowly fading away.

"No!" I shouted as I tried to run after her receding image, but as I ran she seemed to stay the same distance away from me. Never getting closer, but never really getting farther away; just disappearing.

"Wait!" I tried again as she became more of a blur. I reached out with a hand, desperately trying to grab for her, and then I realized something else. She wasn't physically vanishing, my sight was, for my hand in front of me was also fading from sight. I clutched at my eyes, shutting them as I shook my head. _No, no, no!_ But it was done. It was completely dark and silent. Again.

It seemed like only seconds when I finally awoke. The sun was beating down on me and I realized that my entire body felt hot and sticky. Opening my eyes, half expecting to see light, I gasped and immediately sat up from where I laid.

"A vision?" I whispered to myself, then noticed that the ground beneath me was hot as well.

"What's…going on?" I thought aloud, then clenched my fists beside me, around what felt like warm sand. I slowly lifted a hand to let the sand slip through my fingers, listening to the soft pound it made on the ground.

"Where am I?" I asked the space around me, but it was rather obvious that I wasn't in Macalania. No, I was much farther than that. I was in the Sanubie Desert. I shifted my head upwards and took a deep breath.

"Hello!" I called, but there was no answer. Panic rose inside my chest and I took another breath.

"Helloooo!" I shouted much louder. Still, silence greeted me. Hot winds blew through my hair and irritated my skin, which felt like fire. I knew I had to have been out in the sun long enough to burn me. _If I'm in the desert...then Home isn't to far from here. _

I sighed, swallowed, my mouth and throat dry as the sun beat down on me from it's throne at the top. I had lost my canteen somehow, and I figured it must have been when we had all fallen through the ice. I sighed heavily.

_ How will I find everyone else? _I thought as I remembered how Sin had come and transported us into the desert. _Talk about instant heat. _I decided to save my voice in case of becoming dehydrated to quickly.

It nagged at me that had no water with me, and only moment ago we were walking in it.

I decided to stay sitting where I was until someone found me. If I were to try to find the others on my own I'd only become more lost than I already was. Not only that, for all I knew the others could actually be very near and could find me so long as I stayed put. _It would be something Auron would suggest to me, anyway._

The right side of my cheek felt itchy and when I reached up to scratch it I felt sand fall from my face. I began to rub it off and then started to rub the rest off my arms. My legs were already in it so there was no point in rubbing the sand off there. _I wonder how long it will take for someone to find me. _

I sighed, bored already. It was _so _hot. I wanted water more than anything. All I had was dried meat, but that would only cause me to become more thirsty. I pulled my knees up and laid my arms across them as I slouched forward and sat quietly, listening for any fiends that might try to attack.

It would be easy for them now because I was in a vulnerable situation, plus, I only had myself to protect against the fiends. I had none of my fellow guardians to take my place if I were to be wounded badly.

With this thought in mind I prayed that no fiend would find me until the others had found me first. _I wonder if Yuna's okay. Oh, Yevon I hope someone's found her,or, otherwise, is with her and keeping her safe! _I sat up straighter with that thought, but I couldn't do anything about it, whether I knew Yuna was safe or not.

I could only be patient. _Patience? I wonder if this could be a test. _I scratched my burning head, sand falling from some of the strands of my hair. _I could pretend it is a test…to pass the time. _I decided, but there was little to do in such a test.

I slouched again, feeling bored all over again. _Oh, Yevon, I know I don't ever pray to you, but now would be a great time to send me one of my friends over. _Knowing there wouldn't be any answer, I began to wonder what kind of fiends there would be out in the desert. _I guess desert fiends…ha! Go figure. _

I laid myself back down in the sand as I found myself rather tired and even more thirsty as the sun continued to burn all my energy out. So, I closed my eyes and tried to relax.

I swear, I could feel my body evaporating up into the sky as I laid there in the heat. _Are they here yet? When will I be found? _I sighed heavily and folded my hands over my eyes.

After about thirty minutes had passed I was suddenly aware of voices and footsteps on the sand several yards away. I tilted my head a little towards the sound then began to wonder if I was just hallucinating. _Well, if I am delusional, I'll just lay here and wait for them to come to me. _

The voices became more clearer and louder as they came closer to where I lay.

It sounded like three people. I could only catch a few words, but they meant nothing to me. I continued to wait. _Hey, maybe it's Yuna or Lulu…wait, no I can hear…Tidus? _I made no move to get up or call out to them, just in case I really was hallucinating. I wanted to save as much breath and energy as I could. _This is really going to suck when I find out I am delusional! _

Now, I could detect whose voice belonged to who. It was Tidus and Lulu speaking to each other, then there was a familiar humph that came from the all to familiar, Auron. Abruptly, the voices stopped. _Yep. I had imagined it all. Yo, when I said I needed my friends to come find me, I wasn't talking about my imagination! _I mentally scolded Yevon, but it was useless cause he was dead anyway. I sighed with devastation.

"Cynyr! That's Cynyr!" I just about jumped out of my skin as I heard Tidus shout my name from close by. Then, I heard him running towards me.

_Hmm…so I'm not hallucinating?_

"Cynyr?" I heard Auron say as he to began to run down to where I lay. Lulu _did not _run. Just as I was about to move I felt someone's hand rest over my forehead."What's wrong?" Lulu asked suddenly. I opened my mouth to speak, but I found myself to tired to even try. Not only that, my throat was so dry I thought that the effort of talking would be cut my throat open.

I slowly closed my mouth and found that the sun was to bright for me to hold my eyes open. The heat was so intense it felt as though my eyeballs were drying out whether I blinked or not.

"Lulu." Auron spoke urgently and Lulu stepped up then crouched next to me. She laid a hand on my throat and began to murmur something under her breath. Almost instantly I felt Cura wash over me and my throat no longer felt dry, but I was still thirsty. I felt the energy I had lost fill me back up and I slowly began to move.

"You must have been out here for a long time." Tidus said as I sat up. I felt Auron's hand at my back as I did and I sat back on my elbows.

"Yeah…I kind of was. I was beginning to worry no one would find me out here."

"H-hey, don't go that far." Tidus stammered. "Any one of us would have found you, eventually."

"Yeah. Either dead or alive." I said with slight sarcasm. Tidus laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

"Can you stand?" Auron asked and I nodded.

"I think so." Slowly, I began to get up from the ground, both Tidus and Auron standing on either side of me in case I were to fall.

"Where are the others?" I asked when I was finally standing.

"We haven't found anyone else yet." Lulu replied.

"You got any water?" I finally asked.

"Oh! I do!" Tidus exclaimed. The,n he pulled out a canteen he apparently had somewhere on his person, and handed it to me.

"I filled this when I found myself in a water hole." Tidus explained as I took it and took slow gulps of the refreshing water. When I handed it back to him I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand.

"Lucky." Tidus shrugged but didn't reply.

"So where should we start looking for Yuna and the others?" I asked.

"We could go in different directions." Tidus suggested. "Then meet back here!" I shook my head at this.

"Right. I'll just go left and use my trusty night vision to find Yuna." Lulu made a small noise in her throat and Auron harrumphed with slight amusement.

"Ahhh…well what I meant was-" Tidus stammered uneasily, but I cut him off. "It's fine." I placed my hands on my hips and sighed softly to myself.

"But we can still split up!" He exclaimed and I gave him a questioning look. "Yeah…me and Lulu will go off in one direction while You and Auron go off in another!" He explained, causing me to raise a brow. _I guess… _But, deep down inside I perked up at the idea and immediately agreed.

"Okay. How about you, Auron?" I turned in his direction.

"Humph. The best plan Tidus has ever been able to come up with."

"Cool."

_What did he mean by that! _I thought as I began to think that he'd said it because he wanted to be with me. I bit my lip as I felt my face get hotter, and it wasn't from the heat.

"You feeling alright there, Cynyr?" Tidus suddenly asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. I crossed my arms as I suddenly felt vulnerable and transparent.

"Cause you seem a little flushed-" Tidus added, but I turned abruptly and began to walk off.

"It's just the heat. Lets go." I snapped.

_I swear I'm going to pummel Tidus into the sand! _I thought with clenched teeth. Surprisingly, they listened to me and we began to go our separate ways. I could hear Auron coming up fast behind me with his long strides, and soon we were walking side by side.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." To my relief, Auron didn't question me further. As we walked in silence for a while, I suddenly felt a dull pain between my shoulder blades and almost gasped aloud as I recognized it immediately.

_I don't have much longer…I can feel it. It's almost here- time really is running short. _I bit my lip nervously, deep in thought now. Suddenly, Auron stopped and I heard him unsheathe his sword.

Just as I pulled out my own sword there was a loud screech that came from the sky and a whooshing sound as the fiend swooped down.

I heard the bird swoop down low, coming at us with a large snapping beak. "Watch out!" Auron shouted as we both ducked.

"I can hear the bird, Auron." I retorted as I stood back up and ran at the beast with my sword raised. Just as I was about to swing the fiend flew upwards, then came down fast, ready to skewer me. Before I could do anything, Auron shoved me hard, away from dangers way, and plunged his sword into the fiend's head where it sunk deep into its brain.

I landed on my side in the sand with a gasp then I heard the Pyerflies take flight. Irritated, I began to stand back up. My sword had landed a few feet away from me in the sand and I quickly picked it up, my palm burning from the hot metal. I ignored the pain as I sheathed my sword and crossed my arms to glare in Auron's direction.

I heard him sheath his sword and he must have finally looked up at me. I sauntered over to him, making sure to get close too. "Don't ever do that again." I warned, then stepped to the side and began to walk off. Auron chuckled from behind me.

"You take a lot of pride in battle." I stopped short and turned to face Auron again. This time he was close to me. "No. I just don't want to be branded as the blind, helpless guardian that Yuna picked up on the side of the road because she felt sorry for me." Auron couldn't help but laugh at this.

"More like stubborn."

"And you're rude." I snapped. Auron laughed lightly again, but I didn't see anything amusing about it.

"You're the one to talk." He finally remarked.

"What?" I raised a brow.

"You heard me." Auron began to turn as he said this and I clenched my teeth as I finally got my bearings.

"Auron."

"What?"

I paused to take a breath.

"We need to talk."

I felt my heart beat faster inside my chest as I waited for him to reply, causing me to sweat more than I already was. _This is it…I'm finally going to say it._

"There's nothing to talk about." Auron remarked as he began to turn away again. "Yuna's waiting for us." I immediately went to stand in front of him so that he had to face me, and I "looked" up at him in determination.

_I'm not backing down now. _

"Alright," Auron began slowly, "if it's so important, then what is it?" I let my arms fall to my sides, finding it hard to word out what I wanted to say. _Just say it! The truth has to be told. _Auron stayed silent, waiting patiently for me to speak as I turned my head away from him. Then, finally, I said it.

"Why doesn't your heart beat?"

* * *

><p>Uh oh! Another cliff hanger! XD<p>

So, she's finally told him she knows. How will he react? How will _she_ react?

Answers are in the next chapter.

Review, please and thank you. :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **Square owns everything except my characters and my creatures plus everything else I added.

Yay, for reviews! I love you guys! XD Really excited about this chapter, while I was writing it, I was getting into so much I forgot to end the chapter to go to the next. :P So, now I've already got two chapters.

The next chapter will be posted up soon after this one. I've got to take things out, add things in, proofread... :) Got to make it pretty!

Anyways, enjoy the awesomeness!

* * *

><p><strong>Scars and Bruises<strong>

"What-" Auron asked in dubious surprise and I bit my lower lip, nervously.

"In Guadosalm…Seymour said you had the scent of the Farplane…" I began slowly. "Also, you wouldn't go up to the Farplane with us. And when Yuna was performing the sending…you were on your knees as if in pain." I paused a moment.

"You've been acting very suspicious, Auron."

For a long time there was silence between us, and I became uncertain and anxious as I waited for him to speak.

"I refuse to answer such lurid questions." Auron said finally, then he turned on his heel and began to walk away from me.

I immediately turned to catch up with him, my fists clenched at my sides. When I reached him I grabbed his arm and forced him to face me yet again.

"You're hiding something!" I exclaimed, but Auron was silent.

"You're such a liar!"

I was slowly becoming more and more angry. "You said I could trust you! In the Thunder Plains- it was so obvious! It was only for a couple of seconds, but I couldn't hear _a thing_!" I jabbed a finger at Auron's chest to emphasize but he remained silent still.

"You're an unsent." I finally said in a hushed voice, the words sounding dangerous just by saying them.

"You freaking lied to me- to all of us!" I continued, "You idiot! What makes you think no one would've been able to figure it out!" My heart was beating a mile a minute.

Suddenly, I heard movement, and before I could comprehend what was happening there was a loud _smack!_

I reeled back in surprise as my left cheek began to sting immensely, and for several seconds I stood there with a hand to the side of my face in complete and utter shock. _Did he just…hit me? He hit me…I can't believe he hit me! HOW DARE YOU! _My brain screamed.

"Cynyr!" Auron began, his voice full of regret, but I quickly spun around to face him, a look of belligerent upon my face.

"You son of a BITCH!" I screamed and advanced upon him with my fists. I swung at him with my right, but he dodged so I swung with my left.

"Cynyr! Stop!" Auron demanded, but I ignored him. I was to angry, to hurt, to upset to stop.

"I freaking hate you!" I shouted as I started punching him in the shoulders and arms. Each time he would back away and try to catch my fists.

"Cynyr!" Auron said again, then finally, as my fist went to hit him in the face, he caught it with a hand. I cried out in anger and tried to hit him with my other fist, but he grabbed that one to.

"Calm down!" Auron said firmly as I struggled against him. Suddenly, he let go of my hands and reached around me, wrapping his strong arms around my waist, tightly. Stunned, I stood there against his chest as I instictively grabbed hold of his shoulders.

I wanted to push away from him, but he was holding me so tightly, yet so gently that I just couldn't help but relax against him. Then, the tears began to flow down my face and I gripped his shoulders tighter. _Why Auron...why?_

"I'm sorry, Cynyr." I heard Auron whisper, his hot breath on my neck as he continued to hug me.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. And I'm sorry I hit you." Auron added and I squeezed my eyes tightly shut as I tried to stop myself from crying. _Why am I crying? Why do I care so much about him being dead? My heart aches so much…I don't understand!_

As we stood there, breathing heavily with my breasts pushed against his chest, another tear escaped my eyes, I _felt _no heart beat against my own.

_He's dead! He's not really here- he's an unsent! I hate him! _I couldn't help but think. Then, I pushed away from him and stumbled back as I used the back of my hand to rub at one of my eyes. I heard Auron say something and I looked up at him angrily with tears in my eyes.

"What?" I asked brusquely, but my voice cracked a little so I only sounded hurt.

"Forgive me?" Auron asked. I took in a shaky breath and stood up a light straighter, drying my eyes and quickly composing myself.

"I need some time to think."

* * *

><p>When we met up with the others, still unable to find Yuna, Rikku explained that she knew where they were and where Yuna was.<em> She means Home. Well, that's a relief, because most likely she'll be safe there. I hope.<em>

Rikku began to say more, but I wasn't listening anymore. I was to deep in my thoughts, and trying to hide the side of my face, that was beginning to throb, with my hair. So far, know one had noticed.

_If Tidus was an unsent…would I have cried and felt the way I did with him? _I thought about this a minute then mentally shook my head as we all began walking through the sands again. _I would be sad…but I wouldn't feel that strongly about it than I do now._

Suddenly, Rikku cried out and dashed off down a sand dune. Brought back to reality, I realized everyone was running after her, so I quickly followed. Soon, I could hear gun shots, missals, and explosions from below and almost stopped in my tracks.

_Home! What's going on? Yuna's in there! Where is she?_

"Whoa!" Tidus exclaimed. "What is this place?" But no one answered as we continued down the many sand dunes towards the catastrophe. Dashing through the streets, full of shouting and screaming people, gun shots and fiends, we suddenly stopped when Rikku shouted up ahead.

"Kayakku!" I heard her fall to her knees, apparently next to a fallen Al Bhed.

"Kayakku, who's attacking us, who?" She asked desperately.

"Yevon…Guado!" The dying man rasped, and then there was silence. "Kayakku? Kayakku!" Rikku shouted again, but she received only silence from the corpse. _Oh…poor Rikku. _I thought sadly, suddenly hit by the image of Hina as her body was smashed and broken. Pushing the thought out of my mind, I tensed as I heard footsteps approach, then they passed me and the person knelt before Rikku.

The man spoke in Al Bhed to her and she replied back before he finally stood back up. Their words were mostly lost in the noise so I couldn't make any sense of them.

"Are you Rikku's friends?" The man asked, but before giving us a chance to answer, he continued. "Well, come on! Lets kick those Guado out of our home!" At this, he turned and began to saunter away . _His voice reminds me of someone I know…who is he?_

"Who was that?" Tidus asked for all of us, and Rikku finally stood up.

"The leader of the Al Bhed. He's my dad." _Ah, yes. I remember now. Cid, was it? I had forgotten about him… _Now, we began to follow Rikku throughout the torn up place, and as we walked through the streets, memories upon memories came crashing down on me.

_I wonder…if Hina's parents are still alive. _

Later, we found ourselves underground, walking through the many hallways, landings, and stairs as the battle above raged on. _This is terrible! This place used to be my home once…and now its being attacked and destroyed! _With these thoughts I slowly became a little angry.

_Another reason why I hate the Yevonites and the Gaudo. _

As we continued on through, stopped by fiends many times that had found their way inside, Rikku kept instigating us to keep moving after we finished off the fiends. "We're almost to the Summoner's Sanctum!" She would call out from time to time.

We were all confused and curious to know what this "Summoner's Sanctum" was, but we hardly got a chance to ask. Finally, we stopped at a staircase to take a breather and Lulu popped the question that everyone wanted to ask.

"Rikku…" She began as she walked slowly towards the Al Bhed girl.

"What _is_ the Summoner's Sanctum?" For a long time there was silence, and we all slowly became more suspicious.

_Rikku… _

"It's…" Rikku stammered, "it's where we keep all the Summoner's…to keep them safe."

"Rikku," Tidus began as he walked towards her, "Summoner's can't do their job if you're keeping them _safe._ That's what we guardians are for. To keep them safe." Tidus said this with a bit of annoyance and we all uncomfortably stood around the two.

"If we can't do our job," he continued, "the Summoner won't be able to do their job." Once again, there was silence. The only sounds were those of gun shots and bombs from above and the continuing voice of an Al Bhed that shouted the same phrase over and over into an intercom.

"Right?" No one answered him.

"Right!" He shouted even louder and I bit my lip, crossing my arms as I heard the others beginning to turn and leave down the stairs. I started to follow, melancholy choking the air as we passed by Tidus.

_ We should tell him soon… There's no way we can avoid it for long. _After walking in awkward silence for a while we finally entered a large, spacious room. Rikku dropped to her knees for the second time. _Well…welcome to the Summoner's Sanctum. And from what I can sum up, this place looks like outside. _I thought as I heard gasps from the others.

"Yuna!" Tidus called out immediately, but instead of Yuna, another woman answered.

"She isn't here. The Guado took her."

It was Dona. Apparently, that was how she had "disappeared" in Macalania. The Al Bhed had kidnapped her, just like they had done with Yuna.

"These people died…trying to save us." A man's voice spoke up. He sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place a face. As we walked more into the room, the man spoke again.

"Allow us to prepare a proper sending for them." As they turned away from us I heard the footsteps of a child approach us.

"Hey, what's sacrificed?" He asked. "The Al Bhed said something about the Summoner's being sacrificed. That Summoner's shouldn't have to do a Pilgrimage…" Now, it seemed as though everyone in our group held their breath.

_ Nice going, kid!_

Instead of answering the kid with a straight answer, Tidus asked his own question.

"Why couldn't…they trust the guardians to protect the summoner?" Tidus sounded like he was talking more to himself than to anyone else. He sounded confused, angry and sad.

"The Al Bhed had no right in stopping the Pilgrimage!" He shouted suddenly.

"The Pilgrimages have to stop!"

Everyone turned to the sound of Rikku's voice. "If they don't, and they get to Zanarkand…" She trailed off, sounding unsure and worried. "If Yunie defeats sin… Yuna will- She could-" I could hear her voice cracking, and although I couldn't see her, I turned my head in a different direction.

"Yunie will die you know?" She finally shouted, causing me to get goose bumps all along my arms.

"You know, don't you?" She asked Tidus in a small voice.

"Yunie told you didn't she?" She was quickly becoming frustrated now.

"With the Final Aeon, she can beat Sin…but then…but then…the Final Aeon's gonna kill her!" She slumped from where she sat on the floor and began to sob. Other than that and the war around us, there was silence. Tidus suddenly ran up to Rikku, and I half expected him to hug her and cry with her.

"Tell me why! Why didn't I know! Why were you hiding it!" He shouted instead, shaking Rikku's shoulders.

"We weren't hiding it…" Wakka began slowly in all our defense.

"It was just…to hard to say." Lulu finished. Tidus began to shout in agony.

"Lulu! How could you! How could you! Isn't she like a sister to you!" His voice cracked as he said this, but I didn't think he would start crying.

"I thought you were family! Why don't you do something Wakka!"

"Don't you think we tried to stop her!" Lulu exclaimed and Tidus spun around to face her.

"She follows…her heart."

Unable to stand the rest of the emotional turmoil, I slowly walked out of the Sanctum, leaving the others behind. I waited outside the door, leaned against the wall, thinking. _Is it even possible to save _Yuna_…and still defeat Sin for good? _I drew in a deep breath then let it out slowly.

_ Could you bring back the dead? _

_Human's can't be brought back from the dead. _My mother suddenly answered for me. I sighed with frustration and crossed my arms over my chest. I knew it couldn't be done, but a part of me was hoping it was possible.

Ten minutes had passed and the others finally began to make their way out of the Sanctum. I followed as they all ran out into the metal hallway, trying my best to keep up. Unfortunately, I tripped over an unseen object and, as always, I fell hard upon the metal floor with a _bang!_ I gasped when I fell, my hands stinging from the impact.

I took a minute to catch my breath then slowly began to stand back up with a moan. Listening for the others I soon realized that I heard no one. The only sounds were those of the guns, bombs, and voices from above. I was alone. Again.

"Great." I muttered under my breath. I took a step forward then stopped as I bit my lip. _I wonder…if I can remember what direction we came in from. _I took another step forward but stopped again. _No…I don't remember. I just followed everyone, and we were moving so fast…I've gotten confused. _I sighed heavily to myself then quieted as I suddenly heard a sound from behind me.

I spun around quickly, grabbing the hilt of my sword as my first thought was a fiend. I turned slowly in one direction, listening for any more sounds and I kept my hand on the hilt of my sword. Then, the noise began again I stood stock still. It was closer. It was big.

Something was in there with me, and it wasn't one of the gang. I grit my teeth as I listened past all the noise of the war, then gasped as I heard a low and deep chuckle from close by. This laugh was all to familiar and I narrowed my eye's as the Enerugi fired up inside my chest.

_Will you EVER leave me alone! _I thought as I drew my sword.

"I know you're there!" I shouted, my voice echoing back to me as it bounced off the metal walls. I turned slowly again, bracing myself for his first attack. He was being too quiet and it was making me nervous.

"Get out here and fight! Coward!" I challenged and heard him chuckle again, sounding closer than the last time.

"So…" Came Shadow's voice. "We meet again." I gripped my sword tighter.

"Unfortunatley." I began, hearing his slow footsteps upon the metal floor as he approached me. "I have better things to do at the moment, so lets just get this over with." Shadow only laughed with amusement and he came ever closer.

"That's far enough!" To my surprise, Shadow stopped.

I held my sword out before me, ready to run him through. _What disguise is he in time? He can speak to me verbally so-_

"Ah, I see you're still blind." Shadow interrupted. "So, I'll let you take a guess, Cynyr." I realized he had read my thoughts again, but this time he had to be in human form to be able to speak to me. I glowered at him.

"I'm not playing games with you, Shadow!" I snarled. "You keep popping up whenever you like- don't you ever die!" I was becoming frustrated now and Shadow laughed as he took a step closer.

"Cynyr…I can't die. As long as I have the shadow's of those I have taken advantage of...the _weak _ones who can't fight for themselves." He spat and I smirked at this.

"I didn't realize you needed such weak people. In that case, it'll be easy for me to kill you once and for all."

"Ah, but there's a catch, Cynyr." Shadow continued.

"They may be weak, physically…but they are strong in their will power. That is what regenerates me. Now, I have a new body, from the last time you almost destroyed me." He scowled, but I grinned.

"The next time I will destroy you forever with that same power, Shadow."

"No! Because I will _have _that power! You will _not _live this time, Cynyr!" Now, I began to laugh.

"You're so stupid! You can't stop me. I have Enerugi and I _will _use it against you."

"Would you use it against…Rin?" Shadow suddenly asked slowly. I blinked in surprise and he took several more steps closer to me. I took a step back then stopped.

"You're Rin. You have his body!" I exclaimd in anger, the Enerugi rushing through my veins like a power washer again.

"Or his shadow." Shadow said with a laugh.

"Enough!" I shouted and I began to advance on him, my sword raised to strike him. He dodged me quickly and came up from behind me, laying a hand on my shoulder that sent electricity throughout my body. I cried out in pain before he finally let go and fell to my knees, breathing heavily and shaking uncontrollably.

"You're so weak!" Shadow said with another laugh. "But your will is not. And neither is your power." He grinned and came closer to me, but I spun around on my knees and brought my sword up to meet…his sword.

_Clang! _

"Where did you get a sword?" I asked in astonishment, rolling away from him as he came after me. _Clang! _His sword met the metal floor where I had once sat.

"Give me Enerugi!" Shadow screamed as he charged at me again. I quickly stood as I blocked his blow and was surprised to find how strong he was.

"Why would you want it from me?" I asked as our swords crashed again. "What about the Fayth? Tell me why you didn't take their shadows? Why Me?" Shadow laughed in his throat as he paused a moment and smiled at me. I took several steps back, still holding my sword.

"You stupid creature. The Fayth have no shadows. But you…" he began to laugh again, "they made the mistake of making you! Now I can take their power as easy as stealing candy from a baby!" With this he swung hard in my direction and I blocked him again.

"You're low, Shadow! Really low!"

"Why, thank you." He laughed as he hit me again and again. I backed up several steps as I blocked him, but I was becoming weaker. _No! He's gaining on me! _He chuckled deeply in his throat and I grit my teeth as I realized he had read my thoughts.

"Such a pity!" Shadow began as he struck my sword so hard that my blade was mere inches away from my face as I tried to block him.

"I grow stronger every day as I gain more and more power from others!" He laughed. "And you…you grow weaker!" At this my sword was torn from my hands and as he went to give me the final blow, I ducked and spun around to kick him in the back. He caught my leg as he spun around too. I cried out in surprise as I fell hard on my back on the metal floor.

I gasped for breath as it was knocked out of me, and I twisted to get free of Shadow's grasp.

"Ahahahaha!" He laughed loudly and then I felt that same electricity shoot up through my spine and take over my body. Pain surged through my muscles, my veins, throughout my entire being, and I seized up, my mouth open in a silent cry of pain.

Shadow continued to laugh shoot electricity through my veins as I became weaker and weaker. Finally, everything grew silent as I passed out.

* * *

><p>There was Ida, standing before me and I could see again. Only, I couldn't hear as she began to shout something to me. I began running around in a panic, like something was chasing me, and the sun above kept glaring in my eyes. <em>What's going on! I don't understand! <em>When I looked down I saw my shadow, and at the top it was slowly moving away from me, like the sun was setting quickly behind me.

The sun was not moving though, because when I looked up, there stood Shadow, laughing as he sucked in my shadow and filled himself with my energy. I screamed at loudly, a scream so silent not even I could hear. Slowly, I became weaker and weaker all over again, then...I crumpled to the ground and died.

"Cynyr! Cynyr!" Muffled, distant voices called out to me as I slowly came back to reality.

"Cynyr! Cynyr! Wake up!" I couldn't recognize the voice, but it sounded urgent and worried. Other voices began to join in and then I felt something soothing wash over me.

"We don't have time for this." I heard someone say quickly.

"Wakka."

"I'm on it, ya."

"Quick! Lets get out of here." Then, I felt myself being lifted off the ground into someone's strong arms as they began to walk quickly out.

* * *

><p>This was a slightly short chapter, but I felt this was a good place to end it.<p>

So, how'd you guys like this one? I enjoyed writing the Cynyr and Auron scene. :)

Every thing's happening all at once! Goodness, will they ever get a break?

Anyways, please review. Next chapter coming up soon!


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy X, Square does. I own only my characters and other stuff I've added.

Here ya are! Another awesome, exciting, chapter! Enjoy, and don't forget to review! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Yuna's Bravest Guardian<strong>

I kept going in and out of the world around me, the noise of the war fading and then resounding in my ears as I was carried away to some place I didn't know.

"In here!" I heard someone shout.

"Cynyr! Please wake up." Someone said close to my face, their voice soft and child like. For what felt like forever, I suddenly heard Ida's voice inside my head. _Wake, Cynyr. You aren't done yet. _I stirred a little and the voices quieted around me.

_I'm not…dead? _

"I think she's waking up, ya."

_No, my dear. You must not die. Awake. _

"Dude, look at that bruise!" Their voices were becoming more distinct now and I slowly began to wake up. I took in a deep breath then let it out slowly as I felt myself being lowered, but the strong arms stayed around me.

"Cynyr?"

I finally opened my eyes, blinking a few times when I saw darkness, but then I remembered I was blind. At first, I didn't move. I just stared up at the empty space, slowly trying to remember everything.

"Yo…are you okay?" Wakka asked from above me. He must have been the one carrying me. I slowly turned my head to my left where I thought the others might be.

"You look awful!" Rikku exclaimed.

"Well, that was nice, Rikku." Tidus remarked.

"Cynyr…" I heard Lulu ask quietly.

"Guys, we need to go." Rikku suddenly said from afar. "My dad wants us on the bridge in three minutes."

"He can wait." Tidus exclaimed.

"No, we need to go." Wakka began as he slowly lifted me up again and we started for the bridge. Half way there I finally spoke.

"W-what happened?" I asked slowly, still trying to remember what _had_ happened, but it was becoming more and more difficult to remember. _I had a dream…but there was something important…something came before that. What was it? _

"We could ask you the same thing." Lulu replied.

"Ya, we went back for you when we suddenly found you lying on the ground, beaten and knocked out." Wakka added.

"I- I don't really remember what happened." I admitted slowly.

Suddenly, from beneath us there was a humming sound, like a machine being turned on and everyone's footsteps faltered a moment.

"We're about to leave! Come one!" Rikku exclaimed, then we finally reached the bridge and entered.

"Put me down." I asked quietly, but Wakka hesitated.

"Are you sure, ya?" I just nodded and he slowly began to set me down on my feet, holding a hand at my back as I tried to get my balance. Suddenly, I heard Tidus shouting and then Cid's voice echoed back loudly. The two of them sounded angry with each other, and their voices began to give me a headache.

_Ugh! Shut up! _

"Yeah, and what are you going to do when you find her eh!" Cid shouted. "You gonna drag her all the way to Zanarkand and let her die!" Suddenly, there was a huge bang as a body hit the floor and I heard Tidus shout as he slowly stood.

_Dang, this guy is for real!_

"No!" Tidus shouted back. "I- I won't let her die!" Cid scoffed at this.

"Words! Show me action!" He growled.

"I'm telling you! She won't die!" Tidus exclaimed with much confidence, then there was a deathly silence.

"Boy…" Cid said in a low and dangerous voice, "don't forget those words. Cause if you do…I'm going to make you regret it." He finished this with his teeth clenched and for a few more seconds there was silence.

"I won't." Tidus finally replied, and once again there was an unsettling silence. There was the sound of footsteps and then Tidus began to speak again, but in a calmer voice.

"So, do you know where she is?"

"Course I don't!" Cid said gruffly. "That's why were gonna find her on this Ocilofinder."

"Uh…what's that?" Wakka asked suddenly.

"One the ancient machina."

"Do you know how to use it?" Tidus asked curiously, and there was a bit of a pause from Cid.

"Nope. But I'm sure I can get it working to where we can find her." Everyone grew quiet as they all had the same doubtful thoughts.

"Alright!" Cid shouted suddenly, walking towards the front. He said something in Al Bhed several times to another Al Bhed, then as he walked back he and the other Al Bhed began singing the Hymn of the Fayth.

It really surprised the lot of us, especially Wakka. I could hear him shift uncomfortably next to me as we listened, but I listened with the memories of Ida, the Farplane, all the Fayth, Hina, my home back with the Al Bhed. When the singing ended, Cid shouted loudly in a joyous manner and I turned my head away in sorrow.

"What's going on?" Wakka asked.

"We're…we're going to blow up our home." Rikku replied sadly and slowly. _This place is completely gone as it is…I guess...good-bye. _I thought in my own melancholy thoughts. "With what?" Wakka asked skeptically.

"With one of the forbidden machina!" Cid exclaimed with crossed arms, causing Wakka to moan aloud, but no one paid him any attention.

"Where are we…exactly, Wakka?" I asked in a low voice. I heard him cross his arms and then he replied.

"We're on an airship." He began to mutter something under his breath, but I ignored him.

"FIRE!"

We braced ourselves against the jerking of the Airship as it suddenly sped up and then rocked a little. Then, there was the sound of metal against metal and then the explosion sound as thousands of missals went shooting out of the back of the airship towards Home.

Suddenly, a huge explosion went off with a loud _BOOM _and the airship lurched forward as it began to go faster. We all stumbled back and hit the floor before grabbing hold of something to hang onto.

"Vycdan!" Cid suddenly shouted from the front of the ship. _Faster? Geez, aren't we going fast enough yet? _Nonetheless, the ship whined loudly as it began to pick up speed, rocketing through the air like a huge missal.

"Rumt uh!" Cid shouted behind him at us. _Well duh! _I thought as I clung tighter to the wall beside me, a pipe running along it to which I had taken a hold of.

Then, after what felt like forever, the ship finally slowed to a normal speed and we all began to relax and draw in deep breaths.

"Hey, don't feel so bad." Wakka suddenly said, and I turned in his direction. "Boom! Like happy festival!" He exclaimed with enthusiasm.

_Way to GO Wakka! _

"You can shove your stupid fireworks! You…you big meanie!" Rikku snapped, more angry than sad now. _Nice one, Rikku. _She began to walk off, and I quickly caught up with her. "Rikku?" I began, and she turned to me as we walked out of the Bridge and into a hallway.

"I just want to let you know…" I began slowly, but I didn't get to finish when she suddenly grabbed hold of me and hugged me tightly, sobbing. I was taken aback at first, but then I relaxed and slowly hugged her back.

"It'll be okay…we'll find a new home." I said softly. She suddenly looked up at me and sniffed.

"W-what do you mean by…we?" I smiled down at her.

"I used to live with the Al Bhed…I loved them like a real family, you know." I began and I imagined Rikku's eyes as big bright green jewels.

"What I'm trying to say…I want to live with you guys again…after we defeat Sin. If that's okay-" She suddenly hugged me again as she spoke quickly and excitedly.

"Oh, yes! Yes, Cynyr! Of course you can!" I chuckled lightly as I hugged her back and then we pulled away.

"Help me." Rikku suddenly said and I gave her a confused look.

"What?"

"Help me find a way to save Yunie?" I smiled a small smile.

"I'll do my best to think of a way. After all, I am her big sister." Now, Rikku gave me a confusing look.

"What?"

I shook my head with a smile.

"Something Yuna said to me a while back."

Then, Rikku walked off somewhere and I was left alone in the hall. The only place I could think to go was back to the Bridge or just to walk around in the hall. I sighed softly to myself as I found this as a boring idea.

_Now…what happened to me again? _I thought. _I remember…pain before, but why was I in pain? _Suddenly, it clicked and I furrowed my brows. _Shadow. I'm going to kill you!_

_All in good time. _Ida replied

"Cynyr."

I spun around to the sound of Auron's voice, a little startled at first, but then I relaxed. Just a little, because I was still a little tensed around him. Slowly, I began to make my way towards him, remembering where the sound of his voice had come from, then stopped.

"I remember now…" I said slowly, furrowing my brows a little. Auron remained silent, so I decided he was waiting for me to explain. _What should I say? I can't say that Rin was attacking me…oh Rin, I hope I get there in time to save you. _

"I was…attacked by someone…I can't remember whether it was Gaudo or a Yevonite…but, I remember being in pain so I passed out."

"Are you alright?" Auron asked softly, and I could hear his clothes rustling softly as he moved slightly.

"I think so." I replied with a small shrug. Then, he moved, and I caught my breath as I felt his hand on the right side of my cheek, the place where he had struck me. I stood completely still.

He continued to rest his hand gently against my cheek, and I could feel my heart beating faster and faster as I waited for what he might do next. Then, unexpectedly, I felt the bruise slowly fade and I realized Auron was healing my face.

"I really am sorry." He said in an apologetic voice and for several seconds I was silent.

"I forgive you, Auron." I said in almost a whisper.

"Ohhhh, what are _you guys _doing?"

Auron immediately shot his hand back at the sound of Tidus's voice, and I spun around to face him as he walked down the hall towards us. I could _hear _him grinning from ear to ear. When he stopped before us, he looked up at Auron.

"Someone finally getting soft, eh?" I felt my face get hot and I had to turn away.

"Tidus, shut up."

"So, I'm right!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"I never said that." I pointed out as I became a little irate.

"No, but you were _thinking _it!" He said with a laugh and I turned my head in his direction with a deadly look on my face.

"Whoa, okay, okay…" Tidus began as he slowly backed away, "I'll leave you two _alone._"

He was really enjoying this.

"You are going to regret _ever _saying that." Auron suddenly growled as I heard his sword being drawn. Tidus yelped and jumped away.

"N-no, no, no! Calm down now!" Then he turned and high tailed it out of there. I laughed softly to myself and then began to turn away again. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I hoped I might find Rikku again.

As I took several steps forward I suddenly heard Auron's footsteps behind me as he began to follow me.

"Tidus will be Tidus." I said with a smile and a shake of my head.

"Humph."

We walked down the rest of the hallway, and now I began to follow Auron as I found myself a little unsure of where I was going. After walking up a set of stairs, he finally spoke.

"I'm going outside. You're welcome to come along if you like." I stopped abruptly as he continued on, but then he stopped to turn to me.

"Where's…outside?" I asked slowly, fidgeting a little with nervousness.

"Oh, that's right." Auron began as he turned, "you're afraid of heights." Then, he began to walk away and I bit my lip nervously. _But…I want to go out there with you… _

"Wait!" I called after him as I reached out with a hand. I was surprised when I felt his jacket on my palm and I instinctively grabbed hold of it. He had stopped and was staring down at me, and I quickly took my hand back as I turned my head in a different direction.

"I um- I want to go up anyway…" Auron began to chuckle and I turned to him in surprise.

"Then, lets go." Auron turned and I followed as we walked into an elevator that took us to the top of the ship. When the door opened we were hit by a strong wind, and my hair billowed wildly behind me. Auron's clothing flapped against him, his long, loose red jacket billowing behind him as well.

He walked out of the elevator and out on to the platform while I stayed behind, a little unsure. _This would be so much easier if I weren't blind. _I heard Auron stop and turn back to me again.

"Are you coming?" I bit my lip and nodded slowly, but I still didn't move. I heard him chuckle over the wind and began to make his way back to me. I listened as his footsteps came closer and then he leaned close to my face. My heart jumped and I caught my breath in my throat.

"Do you trust me?" He whispered in my ear. I turned my face away from him as I held back a smile and tried to hide the blush that crept up my cheeks.

Getting my bearings I caught strands of my hair that blew in my face and pulled them back as I turned back to him with a small smile.

"Yes…"

Then, unexpectedly, he took my hand and began to slowly lead me out on the platform. I nervously followed him, wondering where the edge was as we continued to walk out. Finally, he stopped and he let go of my hand as we stood there for several seconds in silence.

_It's really not that bad up here. I can trust Auron…he's here for me, and I know he would try to protect me if I were to ever get into any trouble. _I thought with a small smile on my face. _He's so…kind to me, too. _Suddenly, my smile faded and I bit my lip nervously and guiltily as I remembered the time in the desert.

"I should apologize." I said suddenly, and I heard Auron turn to me.

"For what?" I turned my head down then turned back to his direction.

"For hitting you…for being so…mean to you back in the desert." I replied slowly and uncomfortably. Auron suddenly chuckled and I turned to him in surprise.

"You _were _pretty angry with me…I think I deserved it." His voice turned solemn and I slowly turned away as I took in a deep breath.

"Auron…why?" He knew what I meant and took a moment to reply.

"I didn't think it was time to reveal it."

"Liar." I remarked with crossed arms.

"Huh. Caught me, did you?" I remained silent and he began to speak again.

"I was afraid."

_Auron? Afraid? No, that doesn't sound possible. _

"I was afraid of everyone's reaction. Especially yours." I looked up at him in surprise, but he remained silent. _What does he mean by that? Why especially me? Why not, Tidus or Yuna? _

"How did…it happen?" I asked slowly and for several seconds Auron didn't speak.

"I'd…rather not talk about it." Auron replied, and I nodded, understanding.

"I won't speak of it to the others." I finally said, knowing that's how he would want it. I guessed he wanted to tell them himself. _I just wish…he wasn't an unsent. _

I opened my mouth to speak again when Auron abruptly turned away and began to walk back to the elevator. I spun around, standing still for several seconds as I listened to his receding footsteps, then I began to quickly follow after him.

Once we were back inside we hadn't been in there for five minutes when the others came running up the stairs towards us.

"Hey, we found Yuna!" Tidus called out.

"So…where is she?" I asked as he continued to talk to the rest of us.

"She's with that Seymour guy, and he's forcing her to marry him!"

"Tidus." I began again.

"I swear, he's so annoying."

"Uh, Tidus?"

"Once we get down there I'm going to show him who's boss!"

"Tidus!"

"Huh?" I sighed heavily.

"_Where's _Yuna at?"

"Oh," Tidus began slowly, "in Bevelle." I was about to speak again when he suddenly turned.

"Whoa! What's that?" I sighed.

_Hopeless._

"The Guardian Wyrm, Evera." Lulu began to explain. "It protects the city of Bevelle."

"Alright!" Came Cid's voice over an intercom. "We're going to fight that thing!" I heard Rikku sigh.

"The ferryman asks a high price." Auron smirked, and Rikku sighed again. "I swear he just wants to get us all killed." She muttered, then we all headed for the deck above. As the door opened, everyone rushed out as the wind blew our clothing tight against our skin and our hair back behind us.

From the sky I could hear the Guardian Wyrm screeching and getting closer to the airship as all of us lined up at the front. It was Wakka, Lulu, Auron, and me, all of us withdrawing our weapons and getting ready to fight.

"Will you be alright, ya?" Wakka suddenly asked me.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I replied, and I heard the Wyrm fly closer to us then it began to attack. Wakka immediately threw his Blitzball at it and wounded it, but it wasn't quite enough. It grew angry and got closer to the airship, thrashing out at us as we blocked and dodged the best we could.

After he attacked, I ran up and gave the beast a hard hit, causing it to scream in pain. Suddenly, the beast crashed into the side of the ship, causing the floor beneath us to shudder and tilt slightly. I soon found myself on my knees, but when the shuddering stopped I quickly stood back up.

"Its gone out farther!" Wakka suddenly called out. "Cynyr, pull out and let Kimahri in!" Wakka instructed, and I reluctantly left my spot.

After several minutes of their efforts, I was pulled back in when Evera was closer to us again. I attacked it and immediately noticed how weak it was when it tried to attack me afterwords.

"Alright!" I heard Tidus shout then took a blow to the Wyrm. I heard Lulu cast several spells upon it and after one final screech from Evera, it finally exploded into a puff of Pyerflies.

"Exellent work everyone!" Cid shouted over the loud speaker. "Now, Bevelle!" Suddenly, the airship began to shudder violently beneath us then slowly, it began to tilt upwards.

"Hold on!" Cid shouted before the speaker turned off, and we were all left to find something to hang onto while we began to zoom up into the sky. I went down on one knee as I felt myself slide backwards. _No, no, no! _My stomach lurched and the palms of my hands began to sweat as I continued to slide. I gasped.

"Cynyr- Auron, grab her!" I heard Tidus shout and I almost screamed in surprise when I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist, shoving me down onto the platform. I grabbed hold of Auron's shoulder as I held onto the side of the ship with my other hand, the ship whining as it rose higher and faster.

Unable to take it, I buried my face in Auron's jacket, clinging to him as the speed of the airship continued to increase to the point I thought we'd be thrown off the deck. Somehow we stayed on, and for only a second the ship suddenly slowed, but then it began to fall back down, picking up speed quickly as gravity took over and the wind blew at us like a punch in the face.

The airship screamed as it went down, breaking up clouds and causing the once warm air to become cold and sharp. Down, down, down it went and I began to wonder if we were ever going to stop. _It's like we're falling forever!_

Suddenly, the airship began to slow and I could hear bells ringing from below. The floor was finally leveling out and we all began to slowly get up to look around- except I listened.

"Get ready to jump!" Cid exclaimed over the loud speaker. "We're going to crash that wedding like no one's ever done before!" He laughed loudly then got off the speaker. _Jump! _My eyes wide in fear I took a step back as the others began to walk forward.

"Jump?" I squeaked, surprised anyone heard me at all.

"Oh, crap." Tidus exclaimed. "You're blind." I glared in direction.

"Yes, that's been established, Tidus!"

"You'll have to stay here." Lulu suddenly advised as the bells got louder, and the airship began to increase its speed. I set my jaw in determination.

"No way!" I'm going. I'm Yuna's guardian too, whether I'm blind, crippled, one legged- I don't care. I'm jumping!" I exclaimed with clenched fists, then I heard Auron immediately laugh.

"If I didn't know any better it would sound as though you were eager to die." I gave him a look.

"Well, how's she going to jump?" Wakka asked and I could hear everyone turn to Auron and me.

* * *

><p>We all stood at the edge of the deck, hearing gun fire and shouts from below as the airship began to fly around the place. Suddenly, an explosion happened from somewhere underneath as I heard something crash and then everyone was jumping.<p>

"Lets go, guardian." Auron said from behind me. Before I could say anything he swept me off the deck and into his arms, then, he jumped.

I gasped in surprise, my stomach lurching with a sickening feeling as I felt ourselves fall down quickly. I grabbed hold of Auron's shoulders as I buried my face, for the second time, in his neck. Auron landed on something, but he began to slide downwards as if he were sliding on something smooth and slick.

He held me tightly as we both went down, the others sliding along with us from beside us and in front. The air was filled with gun shots, machina whirring, and shouts from the people that was trying to bomb our airship. _Why do they machina here? _Then, Auron jumped.

* * *

><p>Awww! Auron's protecting her! ^-^ How sweet! :)<p>

I loved writing this one. Very entertaining to me. Although, this one _was _shorter, I found it best to end it here. Same way I felt about the last chapter. But, next chapter will be longer!

Please review what you think! :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy X. I own my characters, my creatures, and my ideas.

Yes! Another chapter! And it's got more of Auron and Cynyr in it! :D Happy, happy, joy, joy! And I'm really, really, really, really, REALLY, sorry it took so long, but stuff happens and I can't get to it soon enough. Anyways...

So, in this chapter...Cynyr really hates Kinoc, Kinoc really hates her, Auron says something sweet, and Seymour won't shut up!

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Trials and Sentences<strong>

When Auron had finally landed upon solid ground he quickly put me down and withdrew his sword. I did the same and he began to run in the direction of battle. Catching my breath I quickly followed, the others already at the front.

_I can't believe we're actually having to kill these Yevonites! _I thought as I caught up with the others. One after another we killed and destroyed anyone and any machina that came near to stop us. Slowly, we were inching our way up to Yuna and Seymour who stood at the top of the stairs of the Bevelle Palace.

Suddenly, we stopped at the sound of hundreds of guns cocked and pointed at us, and we all stood at the bottom of the stairs wondering what to do.

"This has gone far enough." A familiar voice said sternly.

I heard Tidus, who stood in front of me, move and then stop. There was a long and deathly silence, and I became anxious of what was going on.

Then, I heard more footsteps, but they were lighter and they came from the top of the stairs.

"You would play at marriage, just for a chance to send me?" Seymour asked in a surprised yet amused voice. _Yuna!_

"Your resolve is admirable," Seymour began again, "all the more fitting to be my lovely wife." _Ugh! Shut up, Seymour! _

Nonetheless, Yuna continued to stand there with her staff in her hands, getting ready to send him. I could hear the Pyerflies singing through the sky, but before Yuna could continue, Maester Mika immediately spoke up.

"Stop!" We all turned to him. "Do you not value your friend's lives?" He asked and then there was a long and uncomfortable silence.

"Your actions determine their fate." He continued. "Protect them or throw them away. The choice is yours." Another silence followed and then I heard the sound of Yuna's staff tumbling down the stairs in almost a slow manner.

_So, what, she has to marry him just because we've got guns pointed at us! Send him anyway Yuna! We can kill these Bastards! _Nonetheless, that wasn't likely to happen. There was a very small chance that we'd be able to avoid getting shot through the head if we all tried to escape.

"You are wise." I heard Seymour say, and then they began the ceremony again, Maester Mika as their priest. Although I couldn't see, I could tell that when there was silence, that Seymour was leaning over Yuna to kiss her. _This sucks! I want to go up there and run him through! That stupid, creepy, nasty, ugly- _bells were ringing again and people were clapping.

All except us.

"Kill them." Seymour suddenly demanded and I heard the guns once again point at us and I heard Yuna gasp as she realized what was happening.

"I _am _sorry, but it is for Yevon." Kinoc said.

"Aren't those weapons forbidden by Yevon?" Auron remarked and Kinoc immediately pointed his gun at Auron. I took a step forward, my brows furrowed and my fists clenched. _Don't you dare!_

"There are exceptions."

"No!" Yuna shouted angrily, and we all turned to her in surprise.

"Throw down your weapons! Let them go! Or else…" Yuna trailed off and I could hear her footsteps as she backed up. _What's she doing? _Apparently, whatever she _was_ doing, caused Seymour to have everyone put down their weapons. Tidus immediately ran up the stairs.

"Leave now, please!" Yuna was saying.

"You're coming with us!" Tidus exclaimed.

"Don't worry. Go!" She persisted.

"This is foolish." Seymour began from the side. "If you fall, you'll die." I slowly began to get a mental image and an idea of what Yuna was doing and found myself biting my lip nervously. _But Yuna...what are you planning?_ Several seconds of silence passed and then I heard Tidus run forward.

"Yuna!"

She had fallen. Right off the edge of the building. A hundred foot drop at the most. Suddenly, there was a loud _boom _and a screech as something fell from the sky above, fast. _Valfore!_

"Cover your eyes!" Rikku shouted suddenly, and we all did as we were told as something flashed and hundreds of others began crying out in pain. Now, we were running. Running as fast as we could down the stairs and past all the now temporary blinded people.

"W-what was that?" Wakka asked in awe.

"An Al Bhed flash bomb!" Rikku replied.

"Let me go!" Tidus suddenly shouted from a top the staircase. "I'm going to kill that Seymour!"

_Who doen't want to kill him!_

"Yuna said leave" Kimahri exclaimed, "we leave!"

"We'll join up with her later." Lulu added.

"Break through!" Auron shouted as we pushed ourselves past more of the Yevonties, continuing to run through the Palace of Bevelle, avoiding anyone that tried to stop us.

"Where'd Yunie go?" Rikku asked.

"Yuna only go to one place." Kimahri replied.

"The Chamber of the Fayth!" Tidus exclaimed, and we all headed for the temple. Once reaching the temple we all stood still within the entrance as we realized how quiet it was inside.

"It's too quiet." Lulu observed. "A trap?

"Who cares! Yuna's waiting for us!" Tidus exclaimed, then I could hear the sounds of buttons being pushed and then there was a _whoosh _sound coming from my left.

"A machina in a temple?" Wakka said in shock.

"I guess it comes in handy." Rikku replied.

"That's not what I mean! The teachings, what about the teachings?" He exclaimed.

"Hey, don't look at me." Rikku pointed out.

"Lets just go." I sighed and the rest of us turned and began to walk forward.

"What is this?" Wakka asked as we stepping up on some sort of platform.

"This will lower us down to the Cloister of Trials." Lulu explained. I got a look of confusion on my face when the floor suddenly jolted from beneath me.

"Whoa!" Both Tidus and I said in unison, then we began to slowly descend in a circular rotation down to the Cloister of Trials. No one spoke as we descended, not until we finally came to the entrance where another machina waited.

"Another machina? Man." Wakka exclaimed.

"So, this is the true face of Yevon. They betray their own teachings." Auron remarked.

"They treated us like dirt." Wakka muttered. Finally, getting through the Cloister of Trials we entered the room just outside the Chamber of the Fayth.

"Yuna!" Called Tidus as he walked in last.

"Inside maybe?" Wakka suggested.

"Then what are we standing here for?" Tidus shouted as he began to walk up to the doors and then began to tug on them like he wanted to throw them off their hinges. _Whoa there...calm down!_

"H-hey!" Wakka shouted.

"Argh! You can stuff your Taboo's!" Tidus growled.

_Okay, he's really pissed about Seymour… _

Suddenly, Kimahri walked up and began to tug on the door as well, and both Tidus and the Ronso lifted it up before Tidus finally entered the Chambers of Fayth followed by Auron.

_Why's he going in? _It had only been a minute after they had entered when we suddenly heard footsteps approaching from the outside. There was more than just one or two them too.

They came hurriedly down to us and all at once we were surrounded by Yevonites and their guns. "Stay where you are!" Kinoc's voice rang out and we all gasped as we turned and then stilled when we realized there was no way out.

"Hey! How did you guys get in here?" Rikku exclaimed.

_The same way we got in? _

"Shut up, you heathen!" A Yevonite shouted as they shoved a gun at Rikku. Without thinking I ran up and pushed Rikku out of the way and stood before the Yevonite, glaring up at him.

"Why don't you do the world a favor and take you bottom lip, stretch it over your head and swallow!"

"What the hell!" The Yevonite exclaimed as he pointed his gun at me now.

"Shoot me!" I dared, clenching my teeth and fists.

"Cynyr!" I heard Auron shout from behind me.

"Enough!" Kinoc shouted angrily, and we all turned to him as he walked up.

"You are to stand trial!"

"Huh, I expect it to be a fair trial." Auron remarked and Kinoc chuckled with amusement.

"Of course it will." Then he gave the signal and each Yevonite grabbed one of us and pushed out of the room with their guns trained on us. I tore my arm away from one of the guards and glared at him.

"I can walk." I hissed. He just pointed his gun at my back and I continued on down with the others.

* * *

><p>"The high Court of Yevon is now in session!" A deep gravely voice growled from above. "The secret officers of this court seek nothing but the complete truth in Yevon's name!" His voice was an ongoing tune so I knew it had to be a Ronso.<p>

"For those on trial, believe in Yevon and speak only the truth."

_Ha! _

"Maester Kelk Ronso." I heard Lulu murmur, her voice echoing off the walls nonetheless.

"Summoner Yuna!" Kelk boomed. "You have sworn to protect the people of Yevon. True?"

"Yes." Yuna replied from her stand.

"Then consider:" Kelk began, "you have inflicted dire injury to Maester Seymour Guado, conspired with the Al Bhed and joined with their insurrection. These are traitorous and unforgivable crimes that disturbs the order of Yevon." _Seymour is more dead than injured! He's a freaking unsent!_

"Tell this court what possessed you to participate in such violence." Kelk asked in a disgusted voice.

"Your grace," Yuna began slowly, "the real traitor is Maester Seymour! He killed his father with his own hands!"

"What is this!" Kelk exclaimed in shock, and seemed to turn away momentarily. Then, Seymour himself spoke up.

"Haven't you heard?" _He's actually going to admit it now! _There was a few seconds of silence before Yuna began to speak again.

"Not only that…but Maester Seymour is already dead!"

"It is a summoner's duty to send the souls of the departed to the Farplane," Lulu spoke up, "Yuna was only doing her job as a summoner!"

"Grand Maester Mika!" Yuna called out. "Please! Send Seymour now!" She begged.

_Yeah, really, get him out of here! _

"Send the unsent to where they belong?" Mika mused.

_Duh! Where have you been? _

"Yes." Yuna replied, but Maester Mika suddenly began to laugh. I heard Tidus growl something under his breath, but I didn't catch it.

"Send the dead?" Mika continued, and then there was silence before the quite chimes of Pyerflies came from where Mika was standing. _What! Okay, who else is dead!_

"You would have to send me too." Mika added.

"What!" Wakka exclaimed.

"Grand Maester Mika is a wise leader." Kelk began. _Liar! Idiot! You're all pathetic! _

"When in death, he is invaluable to Spira."

"Life is but a passing dream." Seymour began. "Death that follows is eternal."

Men die, beasts die, trees die," Mika began, "even continents parish. Only the power of death truly commends in Spira."

"But what of Sin!" Yuna exclaimed. "I am a summoner, like my father before me. I am on a Pilgrimage to stop the death that Sin brings! Are you telling me that too is futile!" Yuna continued. "All the people who opposed Sin, their battles, their sacrafices…were they all in vain?"

"Not in vain. No matter how many summoners give their lives, Sin will always be reborn." _How do you know! There's a way to stop it for sure! I know it! There's always hope…there's always a way! All of you are all just a bunch of fake, unsent, quitters! _

"Those who question the teachings are traitors!" Mika suddenly was saying and Yuna cried out, but now we were all being taken away. We were traitors. Guilty. Unforgivable. Now our sentence was to be made.

* * *

><p>I sat alone inside a cell. Kinoc informed all of the guards that I was "trouble" and should be isolated so I was alone in my prison. I supposed that I would get the worst of the sentence once they came back for me.<p>

They had pushed and shoved me all the way down to the cells and all the while I created a ruckus, kicking them and telling them to lay their hands off. Unfotunately, this led them having to bind my hands and feet so that they could _carry _me to my cell, throw me inside, and then leave while calling rude remarks to me.

"Your words mean nothing to me!" I called before they left, then I sat slumped in a corner trying to unbind my hands and feet. Luckily, they had tied my hands in the front so that I could easily reach down to untie my feet.

Untying my hands was the harder part, but somehow I was able to pull one of my hands out then the other. Now, with my wrists and hands rope burned and stinging, I stood and walked the perimeter of my cell. It wasn't that big and it was circular.

_This sucks! I hope we aren't executed…gosh that's gonna be hard to get out of. How will they kill us? Will they chop our heads off…line us up and shoot us on the edge of a cliff?_

I sighed heavily and sat down up against one of the metal poles that lined the walls, crossing my arms over my chest.

_How long am I suppose to be in here…how long will our sentence last? I've got to get out of here, and quick! _I thought nervously. Today was the day. The final and last day before everything was revealed. _That is…if I can hide it before it is revealed. But it'll be hard. I can't hide it forever. Tonight…my- _

"Your sentence has been made." Kinoc exclaimed from outside, and I stood as I walked over to the front of the cell and glared out at him.

"Yeah? Like what?" Kinoc chuckled at my question.

Go on, k_eep laughing cause once I'm out of here I'm going to kill you!_

"You'll find out soon enough. Nab her!" Kinoc ordered and I heard several guards come forth, unlock my cell and then drag me out by the arms.

"Let go! I can walk on my own!" I exclaimed as I struggled against their grip.

"I heard you were blind…but I didn't really believe it at first." Kinoc was saying, and I turned to him with another glare.

"What of it, you fat faker of a Maester!" Kinoc was shocked by this and went to strike me but I kicked him hard in the stomach while ducking.

"Don't even think about it! I don't fall for the same thing twice!" I spat, then gasped as I was suddenly punched hard in the side of the face by one of the guards.

"Pipe down, you heathen!" _You freak! I will so run you through! You're first on my "kill list!" _I heard Kinoc groan from the ground as he finally stood and then looked at me. _Oh, gosh that really hurt! The whole right side of my face feels like it's on fire!_

"You're a feisty one, aren't you." Kinoc said in a low voice, and I scowled at him then flinched when he suddenly grabbed hold of my jaw.

"Pity you were hit. You have such a pretty face." I growled in my throat and tried to bite his hand, but he shot his hand back, quick.

"Don't you ever talk to me like that again!" I seethed. Kinoc laughed.

"Who's going to stop me!"

"Don't challenge me, because you'll regret it!" I said through clenched teeth, but clenching them was causing my jaw to hurt more.

"Humph! Tie her up!" Kinoc ordered and the guards roughly pulled my hands back behind me before retying my hands. _Again! This is insane! I wish they'd stop grabbing my arms so roughly! _

Then, we began to walk down the hall, silently, through the prison building. All the while I was boiling with anger, wanting so badly to just beat the crap out of Kinoc. _I hate him! _I thought. _Hatred won't get you anywhere. _Ida spoke firmly and I scowled silently to myself.

_Try dealing with this guy first. _

Several minutes later, we stopped and without untying my hands, they began to shove me forward.

"Nice knowing ya." Kinoc sneered.

"Wish I could say the same." I said sarcastically, then I was shoved hard into another room as doors behind me closed heavily, leaving me in silence. Where ever I was echoed back to me everything I did or said. My breathing even echoed back to me and as I stood slowly, I turned.

"Hello?" I called out and my voice immediately echoed back. _Am I the only one in here? What's my sentence? Is this it? This is soooo lame! I was actually hoping for a real challenge! Ugh, my face hurts! _

Suddenly, I stopped. I had heard a noise and now I stood as still as possible, listening quietly for the sound again. Long seconds passed before I heard it again. This time it was much closer. _Footsteps._

Hope rose within me and I began to pursue the footsteps. The sound suddenly faded, though, and I stopped abruptly. _Where'd they go? Can't they hear me? _

Then I heard a noise that made my skin crawl. Sharp talons that scrapped the floor slowly and deliberately, causing my heart to race with panic. Suddenly, something grabbed me and pulled me back, my mouth covered by a person's hand before I could cry out. _Ow, my face! _

I was immediately pulled tight to their broad chest, and I relaxed a little when I realized it was person and not a fiend, but their hand was putting to much pressure on my bruised jaw.

"Be more careful. You almost ran into a fiend." Auron's deep voice whispered close to my ear, then he slowly lowered his hand from my mouth. I took in a deep breath then I froze and my eyes widened in shock.

As I was still pressed against Auron with my hands _still _tied, I realized where the palms of my hands rested. I gasped in shock and quickly pushed away from him.

"Auron I-" I stammered, unsure of what to say.

_Didn't he know! Why didn't he say something! Idiot! _

"What?" Auron asked gruffly and I glared at him with frustration. _What a stupid man!_

"My hands are tied and- you- ugh! I would slap you if I could!" I exclaimed angrily and flustered. Auron chuckled with amusement then began to walk towards me. I took a step back, cautiously.

_Stay away from me, you're starting to scare me! _

"I'll untie you." Auron said as he walked behind me and grabbed hold of my wrists. He began tugging at the knots, but they were too tight and complicated. He murmured something beneath his breath but I didn't catch what he said.

"Pull your arms away from each other." He instructed, so I did and slowly, the ropes began to pull apart like clay. They dropped off of my wrists and I pulled my hands up in front of them as I slowly rubbed my wrists.

"What's wrong?" Auron asked close to my ear, causing me to flinch.

"How did you do that?" I asked in awe, my wrists still burning from the ropes.

"It's a secret." Auron murmured softly in my ear. This caused goose bumps to rise on my neck and arms, but Auron didn't move from where he stood behind me. I stood completely still as I waited for what he might say next.

_Why's he just standing there? _

I was about to open my mouth to speak but Auron beat me to it.

"You smell nice." He whispered and my heart immediately skipped before thumping faster inside my chest.

"What?" I whispered back in slight surprise, not moving from where I stood.

"You heard me." Auron chuckled, then slowly turned away from me and I spun around to face him. He was standing in front of me, probably just staring at me, and I placed my hands on my hips.

"Are you _flirting _with me?" I asked with a raised brow. He chuckled at my statement then turned and began to walk away before murmuring, "maybe." I felt my face heat up at once and I quickly went after him.

"I heard that."

Auron just smiled and I tried to keep my head down so he couldn't see my face. After a long silence between us, I finally spoke again.

"Do you know where we are?"

"The Corridors of Confusion. It's like a maze, full of fiends, and there's only one exit which is rarely found." Now, I stopped and stood still. Auron stopped as well and was probably looking at me with confusion.

"What about Yuna?" I began. "Is she in here to? What if a fiend finds her before we do?"

"We'll search. We can only hope she's in here with us." Suddenly he paused and then began to walk quickly towards me. I took a step back as I lowered my hands.

"Your cheek…" He began, and I suddenly remembered the punch I'd received from the guard. I bowed my head slightly and quickly shook my head.

"What about it? It's fine." I insisted, and began to walk past him, but Auron stopped me.

"Who did this?" He asked with a bit of anger in his voice. I bit my lip nervously and shook my head. "No…leave it alone, we have to find Yuna." I lied, and was about to walk past him again when he suddenly took hold of my chin. I flinched a little, but didn't move.

"Look at me." Auron said sternly, and I immediately rolled my eye's at this.

"You know what I mean." He growled, and I reluctantly turned my face upward. I heard him suck in a breath as he observed my face, and I cringed. _Is it that bad?_ "Who did it?" He asked again, and I had no choice but to tell him. "One of Kinoc's guards." I replied softly, and he growled with frustration.

"He really…has changed." He murmured to himself, but I said nothing.

Unexpectedly, he began to slide his thumb gently across my bruised cheek, causing me to tense up a little. My heart fluttered and my stomach flipped as I felt myself feel lighter.

"Can I ask you something?" Auron questioned suddenly, and I nodded slowly.

"Why do you flinch or tense up when I touch you?" This immediately caught me off guard, and before I could open my mouth to reply, he spoke again.

"And don't lie to me."

"Auron…I don't flinch! " I lied anyway as I turned my head away, causing him let go of my chin. His hand dropped to his side, and I heard him smile.

"Liar."

I immediately felt my face get warm. He could see right through me. _Why the crap does he care so much! _I thought in frustration, then tensed up again as I heard Auron move closer to me.

"I'm not lying!" I exclaimed in exasperation and took a small step back. "I don't flinch and-" I gasped and jumped in surprise as I felt his hand slide around my waist while pulling me close to his body. My hands immediately flew up to rest on his chest, and my head turned upward to face him.

"Yes, you do." He said softly, his breath tickling my cheek. My heart was beating faster than ever now, like it was going to burst right out of my chest. Even so, I liked the way he held me and I wanted him to continue to hold me. My face immediately reddened and I had to turn my face away.

"A-Auron...don't..." I stammered as I pulled away quickly. "T-that doesn't even count!" I exclaimed now, clenching my fists at my sides. Auron immediately laughed.

"Huh."

"I'm just not used to people touching me!" I quickly said in my defen_se. Why does he have such an effect on me? I always feel...happier when I'm around him...I wonder if he feels the same way around me._

"Humph." Auron only replied, then turned and began to walk away as I followed a few feet behind him. As we walked for several minutes in awkward silence I felt a stirring inside my chest and then an aching feeling that ran through my spin and shoulders. I swallowed nervously. _Please no. Not now. Just hold on…just a little bit longer. _

"Auron…"

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever…wish that you were alive?" I asked slowly.

"Well, that's hard to say…" Auron replied quietly, "I wish…to rest. To be in peace and feel at ease." Auron explained, and I listened closely as he continued. "My body no longer lives, and it yearns for the Farplane. But before I go I have promises to fulfill."

_ He hasn't much time left, and only I know…I wonder if I can tell Auron my secret. _I mentally shook my head. _No…I can't. If I do, I'll certaintly cause an uproar from my friends. They won't trust me…they'll think me a freak or something. _I sighed sadly to myself. _But I wish I could…_

"Stop." Aron commanded suddenly, and I became still next to him. I heard him withdraw his sword and I began to do the same when there was a sudden movement to my right.

Before I could even turn in that direction I suddenly hit the ground by a heavy force, and the wind was immediately knocked out of me.

"Cynyr!" Auron shouted as I heard the fiend above me snapping and growling down at me. I gasped and went for my dagger but Auron got there quicker. With one sweep of his sword the fiend was knocked off of me in two pieces, sliding across the floor several feet away.

Then, there was the silent cries of the Pyerflies as they floated away. With my heart beating fast and my eyes wide with surprise, I just sat there for several seconds just trying to catch my breath.

"Are you alright?" Auron asked with concern as he knelt beside me, then gasped and I turned my head in his direction.

"Wha-"

"You're bleeding."

I couldn't even feel it, but Auron had mentioned it I now felt a warm trickle of blood run down my upper arm. Then, it began to throb. _Great. _I thought as I chewed on the inside of my cheek to keep from groaning in pain.

"Well, it's okay…lets just go find Yuna." I said slowly, then began to stand up, but Auron stopped me as he spoke.

"We'll need to find her quickly. The smell of your blood will draw more fiends." I swallowed nervously and nodded.

"We need to find something to tie your arm up."

"Um…" I trailed off before remembering the long red sash that was always tied about my waist.

"How about this?" I began to untie it then held it out for Auron's approval. Without answering, he took the sash and began to quickly tie it around my wound.

"Ow!" I gasped as he tied it tightly around my arm.

"You need to apply pressure on it if you want it to stop bleeding." Auron pointed out. I sighed, then, when he finished he helped me to stand before we both started back down the hall. Several fiends later...

We finally met up with Yuna and Kimahri, and I was immediately relieved. My arm was still throbbing and Auron couldn't really do much for me.

"Oh, Lady Cynyr, Sir Auron!" Yuna exclaimed when she saw us, running up to greet us with a smile.

"I'm so relieved I've found you! Oh! Lady Cynyr, you're arm, what happened?" She asked and I gave her a small smile.

"I was attacked by a fiend earlier."

"Goodness, here let me heal you." She offered immediately before laying a hand on my arm gently, then she began to murmur under her breath. Cura washed over me and quickly healed my wound until it was completely closed and it was no longer throbbing in pain.

"Thanks."

"So, Sir Auron…" Yuna began as she turned to him, "you wouldn't happen to know how to get out of this place, would you?"

"Huh. Can't say I can. We'll just have to keep searching." Auron replied before turning away and walking down another echoing hallway. As Yuna, Kimahri and I followed him Yuna turned to me and spoke.

"Are you sure you're alright now?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." I said slowly with a sigh as I turned my head a little in Auron's direction. _He acts differently around me now that Yuna and Kimahri are with us... _Yuna suddenly giggled and I turned my attention back to her.

"What?"

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I was just thinking about Auron and you." I blinked in surprise, but she continued. "You and Auron are so close to each other."

"W-what makes you say that?"

"Hmm…I've noticed how you look at each other...and how you just seem to get along with each other really well." Yuna replied with a smile.

"But...why does he act so...protective of me?" I asked slowly.

"Mmm...I can't tell you that. You'll just have to ask him yourself." Yuna suddenly replied and I turned to her in surprise. _What does she mean? _But before I could ask her we suddenly came across Lulu.

At least that was one less person to worry about. Now, we just had to find the others. Where ever they were, btu I had the feeling that they had a different sentence than us.

Suddenly, we were approached by Issahru, another summoner. He was apparently sent to kill us in case we made it out. _Sweet! Then that means we're close!_

So, we engaged in battle and Yuna summoned her newest Aeon. Within minutes she had beated him down, despite the fact that he was another summoner, then we asked him where the exit was.

He had no choice but to reveal the exit and we quickly made our way past him. Once finding the exit we were a bit surprised to met up with the others, but we were glad to see each other all the same.

"Yunie! I'm so glad you're okay!" Rikku exclaimed.

"Yuna-" Tidus began, but then he stopped as we all suddenly turned to the sound of footsteps. We all stayed silent as the many footsteps came closer. When they stopped there was the sound of a body hitting the floor.

"Kinoc!" Auron exclaimed suddenly.

"Why you…" Tidus said low in his throat, full of anger and I knew Seymour and his guards were standing before us. Apparently, Kinoc was the one who had hit the floor. Dead. _Good riddance! _I couldn't help thinking.

_And…I suppose it's kind of sad since it was Auron's friend. _

"I have saved him." Seymour began with an amused laugh. "He was a man who craved power." _Don't tell me...he's going to make a long speech again, isn't he._ "And great power he had, but he feared losing it." Seymour continued."Trembling at unseen enemies, he spent his days scheming petty schemes." _This better not take to long._ "Chased by his fears…never knowing rest." Seymour paused.

_Is he done!_

"So you see-"

"Argh! Enough already!" I shouted as I drew out my sword, stepping up at the front towards Seymour.

"I wish you would just _shut up! _Talk, talk, talk, talk, TALK! That's all you do!"

Seymour was silent a moment, then I heard Kimahri rush past me and suddenly struck Seymour through the chest with his spear. Unfortunately, he wasn't phased by this.

"Unpleasent." Seymour seethed.

"Very well. I will end all of your miserable lives." He exclaimed, then he began to transform right before us, groaning in pain as his body took shape of his desirable form that I was glad I couldn't see. I could hear him changing, reforming, and reshaping.

"Run!" Kimahri suddenly shouted. "Protect Yuna!"

"Go!" Auron shouted from behind us.

"But I want to fight!" Tidus exclaimed, then I heard Auron withdraw his sword and apparently point it at Tidus.

"I said go!" After several seconds of silence we finally turned and began to run off down the hall, leaving Kimahri behind. As we ran, Tidus suddenly, and randomly, began to scream.

_What the hell Tidus! Shut up! _

"I won't leave Kimahri behind!" Yuna suddenly exclaimed as she stopped. The others also stopped, but I hadn't stopped soon enough and rammed right into Wakka. I stumbled back in surprise.

"He's a guardian. Protecting you is everything." Auron said quickly.

_Ow, my nose! _

"Auron!" Yuna exclaimed in exasperation.

_Ow...crap my nose really does hurt._

"That's right! We're all guardians!" Tidus agreed immediately.

_Of course, YOU would agree. Grrr, my nose had better not be bleeding._

"Yeah," Tidus continued, "and you know what that means? Yuna, where ever you go I'll follow."

_Aw, how sweet… _I thought, and actually meant it.

"Anywhere I go?" Yuna asked with hope in her voice.

"Yeah! Anywhere!" Tidus exclaimed with a matter-of-fact.

"Well," Yuna began with a smile, "lets go!" They both said in unison. Then, they began to run back down the hall towards Kimahri and Seymour. _Crazy love birds. _I sighed as I crossed my arms, but smiled a small smile to myself.

"Hey, wait for me!" Wakka exclaimed suddenly before running after them.

"Yeah, me too!" Rikku exclaimed next, also running down the hall. I heard Lulu's skirts and the clicking of her belts as she walked up next to Auron and I. _Ah, the sounds of the those belts...it's just so click_y!

"I'll go too." She smiled, then began to run off as well.

"I've got to agree." I began as I turned to Auron. "Seymour's been grating on my nerves lately, and I feel like taking my anger out on him right now."

Auron laughed with amusement. "Well. What are we waiting for?" He asked with a smile. I returned the smile and then the two of us began running down the hall as well.

* * *

><p>Awww! I love this chapter! ^-^ Poor Cynyr and her nose haha<p>

So, who liked the part with Auron and Cynyr together in the Corridors of Confusion? Cause I know I did. :)

See, I told you there would be more of them. It only gets better later. ;)

Thank you for all your reviews and being so patient! Next chapter coming up soon! :D

Review please.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy X, Square does. I own only my characters, my creatures, and my ideas.

In this chapter: Sadness overwhelms everyone as they escape into the Forest. Cynyr tries to comfort Auron, Shadow returns again, Cynyr's secret is out...

Mwahaha! You're gonna LOVE this chapter! Song is Pale by Within Temptation

* * *

><p><strong>Escaping the Dark Side<strong>

It was Tidus who had given Seymour the final blow, and he disappeared slowly and silently, but he wouldn't be gone forever. No. He would be back again.

_That sucks. I was hoping to get rid of him once and for all. _I thought as I put away my sword. I heard the others do so as well and then we took a moment to get our breaths back.

Finally, we ran for our lives before anyone else could capture us and take us away. We ran through the streets of Bevelle all the way to Macalania Forest again, like thieves in the night, all on the run. From the forest we would enter the Calm Lands, so long as no one would find us, and hope we wouldn't be caught.

When we found a good place to rest, Yuna immediately walked off, claiming she wanted to be alone. Yevon had betrayed Yuna, and now she was shaken and lost. We could understand why she would want to be along.

The rest of us sat down, thinking silently to ourselves all that had happened in what felt like a long time, yet it had been only a day.

_What are we going to do now? _I thought as I sat next to Wakka. _I mean, duh we continue the Pilgrimage…but what about Yevon? What about those who know about us now? Won't we be captured again...sooner or later? _Lulu stood somewhere on the other side of my while Rikku sat between us, muttering to herself.

Tidus had wandered off somewhere and Auron went out to make sure the roads were clear and we weren't being followed. When I could hear his footsteps approaching from afar I looked up.

"Well?" Wakka asked as he looked up also.

"We're all clear." Auron replied when he stopped before us. "We'll have to stay away from Bevelle in the near future." We all grew silent at this.

"Where's Yuna?" Auron asked then.

"She said she wanted to be alone." Rikku replied.

"Of course." Auron walked away to stand off by himself and then Tidus returned, only to go off searching for Yuna.

_Well…what should I do Ida? It's the middle of the night and my time is just about up. _For several seconds there was silence from her.

_You have until tomorrow. Then…you're on your own. _I frowned, my head in my hands as I thought about this. _Tomorrow? So it wasn't as soon as I thought it would be. _I sighed softly to myself and stood up.

_But…there is someone who is in more need of comfort than even you…Cynyr. _I turned my head in Auron's direction almost immediately.

_Does she mean Auron? Of course…yes, he is isn't he…Kinoc, even though I hated the man, he was once Auron's best friend. _I thought sadly, then stood and walked slowly and carefully around Wakka towards Auron. He was sitting on the ground now and I squatted down in front of him, facing him and hoped I was looking at him. I heard him turn his head to me.

"You okay?" I asked softly with a tilt of my head.

"Hmm. Why do you ask?"

"You seem…sad. Full of sorrow…hatred…" I trailed off and he was silent for a moment.

"Humph. What if I was?" I paused before answering.

"I know how you feel..."

"How?"

"I lost someone too…a very long time ago, and the pain is _still_ there." I explained softly, and I could tell that Auron was listening. "Nonetheless…" I began again, "I look to the future…I don't hold onto the past. Not anymore." Auron didn't say anything and I sat down next to him, close enough to brush shoulders.

"Auron," I said slowly, "you're always putting up a wall. You don't have to…not in front of me." Auron still didn't reply. In fact, he looked away from me.

"You've always been there for me…and I want to thank you for that. But…" I trialed off and I heard the fabric of his clothing rustle as he moved to look at me again.

"I want to be there for you too. If that's alright." I said softly and for a long time there was a long silence between us as we just looked at each other. Well, he looked at me anyway...

"You cannot be there for me." Auron finally replied, and my heart skipped. "It is…impossible now."

Then, without warning, he got up and began to walk away while I sat there in my own silence and darkness. As I listened to his receding footsteps I pulled my knees up to my chest and thought.

_He's right._ _It is…impossible. He's gone…and I'm here, but when we reach Zanarkand…he'll be gone forever. _This thought suddenly brought tears to my eyes, and I quickly wiped them away before standing and walking off as well.

I didn't know where I was going, I didn't know where I was, but I did know that I wanted to just be alone. Away from Auron, away from Yuna, Tidus, Rikku...everyone. I just wanted to be alone in my own thoughts. _I want to comfort Auron...I want to be with him right now, but he won't let me. He's... _I sighed and simply threw the thought out.

I slid my hand across a tree trunk and almost ran into another as I walked along an uneven path, stumbling from time to time on rocks and roots.

Finally, I stopped at the sound of water, then began to slowly move forward to the edge of the lake. I was on another side of it…far from where the others were and I wasn't sure how to get back. _What do I do then? _I asked myself. _I guess I'll just walk backwards…and hope I'll find the others before something else find me. _Then, I sat down on the bank and began to sing.

_The world…seems not the same_

_Though I know...nothing has changed_

_It's all my state of mind..._

_I can't leave it all behind_

_Have to stand up to be stronger_

_Have to try to break free from the thoughts in my mind_

_Use the time that I have left to say, good-bye_

_Have to make it right_

_Have to fight, cause I know in the end it's worth while_

_That the pain that I feel slowly fades_

_Oh, It will be all right._

I reached forward with a hand and slowly dipped it into the cool water. I felt the small grains of sand beneath my fingertips and swirled the water and sand with my fingers, continuing my song.

_I know, I should realize_

_Time is precious_

_It is worthwhile_

_Despite how I feel inside_

_Have to trust it'll be alright_

_Have to stand up to be stronger_

_Oh, this night is too long_

_Have no strength to go on_

_No more pain I'm floating away_

_Through the mist, see the face_

_Of an angel calls my name _

_I remember you're the reason I have to stay…_

I continued to sing the rest of the chorus, getting up to walk around in circles for a while before finally finishing the song and stopping. The night was silent again. Everything was still and asleep. I decided, that since it was getting late and I was tired, I wanted to return back to the others.

_Maybe I'll remember my way back. _I mused as I began to turn and walk back. I had only taken the first step when I suddenly heard a twig snap from behind me. I immediately spun around with my hand on the hilt of my sword, my heart beating quickening as I listened for any other sounds.

Silence came to me yet again, except for the quiet lapping of the water at the edge of the bank and the night calls that always echoed through the forest. Nonetheless, I had the feeling I was being watched and stalked.

_Something's coming. _

_Watch out! _Ida warned, but it was too late.

_Splash! _I was thrown backwards and hit the water hard and fast, barely getting enough air in my lungs. Engulfed in the cold waters, I began to thrash about in search of the surface. As soon as my head came up though, I regretted it when I heard the familiar laugh of Shadow.

_No!_

"You're mine now!" He exclaimed in an insane voice, then shoved me deeper into the water. I gulped enough air into my lungs before being plunged deeper into the water, the darkness and the cold overwhelming me all at once as I fought to grasp my sword. All the while I tried to ward off Shadow's attacks.

He continued to push me lower and lower, deeper and deeper into the lake, casting his dark magic upon me. I clutched at my sides and my head as I sank lower into the water, my sword still in its sheath at my waist.

_I've got to get to my sword somehow! _

"I will have your power!" Shadow screamed through the water, then delivered a punch I didn't think was possible underwater to my stomach, causing precious bubbles of air to escape my mouth. _No! _I thought, panicking as I sank ever lower. _Fight, Cynyr, fight! _Ida shouted over and over, and I finally got a grip on my sword.

"Don't even think about it! You stupid girl! Give me that power!" Shadow screeched and I slashed in his direction, but it was weak and barely wounded him.

"Sorry, but you missed!" Shadow laughed, and I clenched my teeth as my lungs began to burn.

_Air, air! I need Air! _Now, I began to swim to the surface, Shadow immediately following close behind. Faster and faster I swam, my lungs screaming in pain. Suddenly, I felt Shadow grab hold of my ankle and then tug me back down.

_No! _

"Yes! Come to me! Let us be one and I will save you by ending your miserable life!" Shadow exclaimed. _Stop! I need air! I can't…breathe! _

"Now, I will have your power and rule the world!"

My lungs were on fire and ready to burst. My strength was quickly weakening and all I could think about was the sweet air above that would fill me back up with life. Finally, in one last attempt, I grabbed my sword and stabbed downwards at Shadow.

"Still fighting, eh?" Shadow laughed as he dodged my blow, and I heard a splash from above.

"It's all in vain!" Shadow added before knocking my sword out of my hand, then, he threw me hard against what felt like a rock at the bottom of the lake and my eyes widened in shock.

My mouth opened. My lungs filled with water. My heart…I couldn't even hear it. All went silent.

* * *

><p>When I was conscious again everything felt and sounded fuzzy...distant and faded. I was terribly confused. <em>What's going on. My head hurts…I feel strange. <em>I heard voices, from what I could guess, but they were just murmurs so I understood nothing. Then, slowly I lost consciousness again.

The second time I awoke I could hear only silence, except for some birds and a breeze that softly blew by. The air was cool and almost felt comforting, but where I lay felt hard and rough. _Where am I? _I asked myself. _What happened? _

_Wake up. You cannot sleep forever. _Ida commanded, and I slowly began to open my eyes.

"Lady Cynyr?" Yuna said softly from above me. I blinked several times, my brain feeling fuzzy again, then I slowly began to sit up as I stared out in surprise

"Are you sure you should sit up just yet?" Yuna asked. She was the only one with me, but I didn't reply. I kept blinking and then I rubbed my eyes. _What happened? _I thought as my heart began to race.

"Cynyr…is there something wrong?" Yuna asked with concern as she saw the look on my face. "Do you hurt anywhere?" I rubbed my eyes again, squeezed them shut then shook my head before hearing the footsteps of the others approaching.

_Am I dreaming..._

"Yo! You're awake, eh?" Wakka said first, and I turned to him and the others.

"You were out all night and practically all day today!" Tidus exclaimed.

"It's almost like last time…you know, when you got blind." Rikku pointed out.

"Is there something wrong…Cynyr?" Lulu asked slowly, clearly detecting the expression on my face.

"I…" I began and everyone grew silent as they watched me.

"I…I don't know how to say this…" I began with a tiny smile.

"Say what?" Yuna asked softly from beside me. I turned to her and the others before finally beaming a huge smile.

"Guys- I- I can see you!" I exclaimed, happiness filling my chest and blurting out of my mouth as I laughed.

"What?" Everyone exclaimed all at once, then began to gather around me.

"Can you really?" Tidus asked as he got right up in my face, his blue eyes searching mine. I backed away and nodded before looking up at the others.

"I can see Wakka," I pointed up at him, "and Lulu," I pointed at her, "Rikku, Tidus, Yuna…" I trailed off as I looked behind them at Kimahri and smiled again. "And there's Kimahri!" I clapped my hands together in excitement and slowly everyone began to smile and then laugh before finally joining along with my excitement.

"That's amazing, ya!"

"Super duper!"

"I guess now you don't have to worry about bumping into me and Wakka." Tidus joked. I rolled my eyes but laughed as well as the others. _Wow, I had almost forgotten how beautiful colors really were! This is so…amazing!_ Then, I slowly stood from where I sat while the others continued to speak around me.

"Where's Auron?" I asked slowly as I looked around and the others grew silent as they looked at one another, then up at me.

"Um…he's somewhere." Tidus said with a shrug. I looked back at him and then the others before smiling.

"I'm going to go find him. I'll be back!" I exclaimed as I began to run off.

"Wiat- Cynyr…are you sure you want to be moving around yet?" Yuna called after me, and I turned as I continued to walk.

"I'm great! Really!" I said with enthusiasm before throwing my hands up in the air and then running back down the beaten path.

I thought it would take a while to find Auron, but it hadn't taken but a minute. He was standing near the edge of the lake, just staring out across the waters with his back to me. I smiled slowly as I stopped then took slow and quiet steps towards him.

_I've missed you in color, Auron. It sounds lame but you look beautiful right now!_

He stood like always, stock still, stiff like he had a stick up his butt and I stifled a giggle as I got closer, taking in his form. His long red jacket almost reaching his ankles, his dark hair you could barely see because of the high collar he wore, one arm hanging by his side while the other rested inside his other sleeve. Now I stopped just a few feet behind him.

"Hey."

He turned at the sound of my voice, then realizing who it was, he turned all the way around to fully face me. I waited for him to reply as his brows creased and he gave me a stern look.

_Hehe, I've missed that look!_

"Do you really think it wise to be moving now?"

"Don't worry. I'm fine." Auron was silent a moment as he stared at me for several more seconds. I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting.

"How did you find me?" He finally asked.

"I walked here." I said with a shrug and a half smile.

"Humph. You shouldn't go off on your own like that. We almost lost you." Auron began in a stern voice.

"If it wasn't for Tidus you would have surely drown." I smiled a small smile, keeping my arms crossed as I replied.

"Auron…I realize that." He raised a skeptic brow, but I continued. "I realize I could have died in just a matter of seconds…" I trailed off then began again as I took several steps towards him.

"But…I think I'm glad it happened the way it did." I stopped.

"What?" Auron gave me a confused look and I smiled knowingly.

"Auron…when I was hit in the back of the head by Ochu…it must have damaged the part of the brain that controlled my sight." I paused to let this sink in and took a few steps closer. I was now two feet away from him.

"When I hit the back of my head in the lake…it must have reversed the effect, because I can see you as clear as day." Auron blinked in surprise and his expression softened and for a long time there was just silence as Auron and I stared at one another. It was as if he were trying to decide on whether or not it was true.

"You can see?"

"That's what I said." I replied with a nod. "I can see you dark brown hair…your creased brow, the long scar that runs along your right eye," I moved my eyes as I looked at each place on his face, "the dark russet brown that its in your other eye, the silly collar, the infamous red jacket…" I smiled and Auron began to chuckle with amusement.

"You think my collar's silly?" I nodded.

"Your glasses too."

He smiled, but then it faded.

"Your life was still in danger…" his voice didn't sound as harsh though, "don't ever do something like that again." I smiled a small smile and began to turn as I replied.

"Don't worry, I'll give my regards to Tidus when I get back." I took only three steps when Auron suddenly walked up from behind me and laid a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. I stood still as he leaned closer to me.

"I don't think you realize how much danger you were really in." He whispered in my ear, giving me a chill that ran up my spine as goose bumps rose on my arms and neck. I opened my mouth to reply, but stopped when Auron suddenly wrapped his arms around my shoulders and hugged me close to him, his head resting against mine.

My heart leaped and I caught my breath in my throat, standing there a little unsure as Auron held me close. _Auron… _I bit my lip then slowly raised my hands up to grasp his that rested near my neck. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath before slowly letting it out.

_This feels...right._

"I'm sorry." Auorn suddenly whispered into my ear, then he slowly slid his arms away from me and began to walk past me, his shoulder brushing against mine. I placed a hand on my heart as I watched him leave, and for several seconds I just stood there.

"Auron! Wait!" He stopped and I ran towards him and grabbed hold of the sleeve of his jacket. When he turned to me I looked up at him, meeting his hard gaze as I searched for the words to say.

"Auron…I-" my grip tightened a little and I stared up at him intently.

"Hey, guys!" We turned suddenly at the sound of Tidus's voice; there the blonde stood at the end of the path, grinning like an idiot.

"Come on! Lets go!" He shouted, then turned and began to walk off. I let go of Auron immediately and looked away, embarrassed now.

Auron looked down at me, waiting for me to continue as if Tidus had only been a mere bug pestering us. But, I didn't say anything. My mouth wouldn't open, my mind was blank, and no words would come. I bit my lip nervously and Auron finally turned and began to walk away from me again.

After standing there for several more seconds, I finally turned and began to follow Auron back to the camp site. _What was I going to say to him? I tell him to wait and then I don't even know what I'm going to say! Then Tidus just had to Ruin the moment! UGH!_

When we got back with the others they were all actually in pretty high spirits, despite what had happened. yesterday. _Or was it the day before that? I don't know...I was unconscious for two days I think. _

"Hey, Cynyr!" Rikku exclaimed as she waved at me, a huge smile on her face. _Um...hey? _I smiled back and gave a small wave in return and then she turned away before running towards a tree, jumping up to grab hold of the first limb. Once she was sitting on the branch she began to climb higher.

_Wow, she's really energetic today... _I rubbed my eyes with a hand as I walked over to where the others were sitting and talking and found myself getting tired. I stifled a yawn and sat down silently next to Yuna who was sitting next to Tidus. Apparently I had interrupted something private.

When I looked up at them Yuna was looking at the ground while Tidus was staring at me with those wide blue eyes of his, only he looked slightly annoyed. I raised my brows as I looked away and raised my hands up in surrender.

"I got it."

I immediately stood and walked over to where Kimahri was sitting and decided to sit against a tree that grew next to the tree he was sitting against. When I turned to him I realized he was looking at me to. His arms were crossed over his mighty chest, his back was completely straight, and his yellow cat like eyes stared down at me curiously.

"Please tell me you're not going to run me off either." I sighed with slight exasperation. For a moment, Kimahri was silent, then he slowly grinned.

"Kimahri does not mind company." I smiled at this and sighed softly to myself as I leaned back against the tree I was sitting in front of, then I slowly closed my eyes. As I felt myself drifting off to sleep I heard Wakka speak.

"So when we leaving, ya?" For a long time I only heard silence, and I would have opened my eyes to look, but I was to tired.

"We should let her rest." Auron replied finally, and it was the last thing I heard before I finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>When I awoke it was late in the night while everyone else was asleep, but there was a reason why I had suddenly awoken. <em>What was it? <em>I lay still for a moment, then I felt it. The light feeling stirring in my chest like before, followed by the ache in my back and shoulders. Only, it was much worse this time.

_It's time. _I thought.

_Go. _Ida whispered and I slowly got up from where I sat still leaned against the tree.

I looked around me at the others, their sleeping forms a mere outline in the moonlit night. Wakka and Tidus lay sprawled on the ground snoring, the girls curled up and sleeping softly, Kimahri still leaned against his tree with his head bowed, and Auron...

I looked around quickly as I soon realized he was no where in sight. An shiver immediately ran up my aching spine as I had the feeling that he was going to suddenly pop up and ask me why I was up. Quietly looking around once more, I decided the coast was clear.

_I just wish I knew where he was. I can't have anyone following me. _

I bit my lip as I felt the pain zap up through my shoulder blades again and I quickly turned away. _Your time is up. _Ida warned and I quietly began to make my way down to the lake, hoping no one was there. _I've got to hurry! _I walked as far as I possibly could to the lake where it was farthest from the camp.

If anyone heard me and came running I'd be done for. Finally, I stopped and looked out over the beautiful blue and sparkling lake before smiling a small smile.

"She was right…it does look like crystals."

Then, my smile faded as the pain surged through me yet again only much stronger. I cringed in pain. _Hurry! _I immediately began to take my armor off, one by one, the shoulder guards, the breast plate, the sash, then I went ahead and took off the chain skirt from around my waist so that I was only in my tank top and shorts and my boots.

I silently walked over to a tree where there was a hollow inside. There I placed all of my things. My sword, I also left. I wouldn't be needing it. The only weapon I _did _take was my dagger. As I was turning away from the tree I suddenly gasped and doubled over in pain as what seemed like electricity zapped through my spine.

The pain surged through me again and again, faster and more painfully. I bit the inside of my cheek, _hard _as my stomach flipped with a sickening feeling and my heart began to race. _Ugh! I don't remember it being so painful! _I thought as I crawled forward towards the lake's edge.

I groaned quietly to myself as I finally collapsed near the waters edge. My muscles tensed and I dug my fingernails into the dirt next to me. The pain racked my body and I slowly sat up on my knees, one of my knees drawn up close to my chest.

I leaned forward as I squeezed my eyes tightly closed and felt sweat roll down my temples, my armpits, my legs- my entire body had broken into sweat. I clenched my teeth as my body adjusted to the changes that went on inside me, overwhelming me like I was about to throw up.

Then, a shooting pain zapped through my shoulder blades and I gasped.

_It's happening._

I tensed up again, hearing and feeling skin rip and tear around my shoulder blades. Muscles rearranged and adjusted, veins grew larger, lungs expanded and I took in a deep breath. Bones expanded and tore through my skin, growing longer before thinning out at the ends.

I tried my hardest not to scream aloud in agony as the pain continued to surge through me, my transformation continuing as I heard my mother's voice loudly inside my head.

_This is the gift that will help you defeat, Shadow. With this ability and Enerugi, you will conquer his wrath!_

I gasped as I dug my fingernails more into the bank of the lake, holding back the tears and the screams as my body grew into something new in just a short period of time.

_You and only you can stop Shadow! You must not give up. You must fight, you were made to fight! _

Suddenly, I collapsed upon the ground in so much pain that I blacked out completely on the bank.

* * *

><p>Several minutes later, I woke to the sounds of the night all around me and my shallow breathing. <em>You are complete. <em>I heard Ida whisper and I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I saw were my hands lying in the water, dark blue and purple etchings decorating the top of my hands and fingers like tattoos.

They swirled around my wrist and curled up on the top of my hands making rings on my pinky and middle finger. The same was on the other hand, only the symbols were differently decorated on the skin. I slid my hands out of the water towards me as I pushed myself forward to look at my reflexion.

There I saw my face. Along the side of my forehead, my left temple and half way down my cheek was the same dark blue and purple etchings that created a new symbol. The symbol of a Fayth child.

As I moved my shoulder slightly forward something soft and fluffy brushed against my cheek and my eyes moved to the left as I stared at the white tuffs that lay across my bare shoulder.

Moving my head more to the left I could see it arch up and then slope down to lie on the ground beside me in a graceful manner. Despite the soreness in my back, shoulders, and chest, I slowly began to rise from the ground to sit up on my knees.

As my shoulder blades moved, so did the hollow bones with the the soft elongated tuffs of white. They lifted away from my shoulder, folding back and letting the ends of them lie gently on the ground several feet away from where I sat. Slowly, I looked behind me and let a small smile cross my lips as I looked at the miraculous form I had become.

_Wings._

* * *

><p>YAY! Now the secrets' finally out! She has beautiful, white, angel wings! XD whoo hoo! Now she's ready to go and fight Shadow!<p>

But now that the easy part's over, how in the world will she conceal her wings from the others? Will someone find out her secret?

Hmm...we shall see. :)

Review! :D


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing! Square owns the game. I own my characters.

FINALLY! Another freaking chapter! I've had to uninstall safari then re-install it because it was messing up on me and I couldn't post chapters up. It. Was. Annoying.

Finally got it fixed though, so no worries. Gosh, this one took forever to re-read because I forgot to save it and I had accidentally hit the back button...I'm such an idiot. Anyways...here ya are!

* * *

><p><strong>Flight<strong>

I stretched my sore muscles then arched my back as I spread my wings out to the fullest, taking in a deep breath that filled my now larger lungs. _I've almost forgotten this feeling! It really is amazing to me…every single time._ Then, the feeling of flying began to overwhelm me and I looked up at the sky, smiling before crouching down close to the ground.

Then, with one beat of my wings I was up in the air, high above the trees. I flapped them twice more before finding myself high above Macalania Forest, over looking the trees as well as the Calm Lands. It wasn't that far from where I glided and I swooped down to fly over the darkened lands, the wind whistling past my ears.

_It's been so long! _I thought with excitement before picking up speed and flying high above the clouds, my eyes closed as I allowed myself to fly higher. Opening my eyes again, I slowed and found the stars surrounding my like a thick black blanket, the moon full and shinning brightly above my head.

"This is amazing!" I breathed, beaming up at the sky as I began to spiral down, the clouds parting, the wind blowing my hair back, the land getting closer.

Then, I swooped upwards and flew a good distance upward before straightening my wings out to glide across the air. Farther away I saw a mountain. It was as big as my hand and covered in snow. _Mount Gagazet…and on the other side is Zanarkand. _I thought sadly, then found myself flying faster and getting closer to the mountain.

_Don't go there. Not yet. _Ida advised, so I slowed and then stopped in midair, flapping my wings closer to my body to levitate in one spot.

_When I find Shadow again…will it be the last?_

_I cannot tell you exactly. But I can tell you that your power is slowly becoming more and more stronger, meaning it will be harder to control. _I swooped down and flew towards the ground before rising quickly upward.

_What about Rin? How can I save him? _

_The only thing I can think of is to kill Shadow once and for all…then all of his powers will leave him and hopefully, because they are the wills of the many people he stole from, they will immediately return to those bodies. _

"Then…there's no guarantee that Rin will survive through this…or the others who was a victim to Shadow." I said quietly to myself, then turned and began to make my way back to Macalania Lake.

As I landed on the bank of the lake, I rotated my shoulder blades slightly, bringing my wings inward to close against my body. They folded and folded…and continued to fold until that were resting against my back like two doves snuggled next to each other.

Then, I walked over to the tree in which had my armor inside. I carefully buckled my breast plate around my back, my wings, and my front. I fastened the belts along my sides snuggly and rotated my shoulders a little to adjust my wings inside the little hollow inside the breast plate.

My armor had been specially made by the Fayth so I could easily fight and still keep my wings out of the way. My gloves were made to cover my decorated hands and fingers, but that left the symbol on my forehead and cheek.

_I'll just have to lay some of my hair more in front of my face and hope no one sees. _

Finally, I had all my armor on and I could see the sky slowly lighting up. So, I turned to quickly go back to the campsite, hoping to catch up on whatever sleep I had left.

I had only taken two steps forward when I immediately froze and stared wide eyed at who stood in the shadows in the path that was only a few yards away.

"A-Auron."

_Does he know! Did he see? _

He was silent for a long time as he stood there in his long red jacket, his large katana in hand, a dark look on his face as he stood like a rain cloud surrounded by sparkling blue.

"I- How long have you been standing there?" I asked in a slightly shaky voice, fearing he really had seen and was about to charge after me and run me through. _Please tell me you didn't see. _I thought nervously, swallowing as I soon found my throat dry.

"Long enough." Auron replied before lifting his sword up on his shoulder. Then, he began to take quick steps towards me and I took a nervous step back.

_He knows! Now he's just going to kill me without even questioning me! And I though he- _

Auron stopped before me. He looked down into my eyes, searching them as if he seemed confused, but I saw suspicion there as well. I quickly looked away.

"Why are you out here?" I asked slowly.

_If you're going to kill me, get it over with! _

"I cold ask you the same."

I swallowed again and held my elbows as I continued to look away. _He isn't doing anything…so, did he not see? _Clearly seeing as I wasn't about to answer, he decided to speak first.

"I was awoken by some fiends that almost attacked the camp. I disposed of them but when I returned I realized you were gone." Now, I looked up at him, my eyes meeting his stern and concerned gaze and I bit lip before I finally replied.

"I woke…and couldn't get back to sleep." I paused. "So…I came out here just to sit a while."

Auron remained silent as he stared down at me, hard, trying to see through me, because I knew he suspected that I was lying.

_I'm such a terrible liar. _

"Why…do you ask?"

"Humph. It doesn't hurt to, does it?"

I averted my eyes and began to move past him when he suddenly said my name. I paused a moment then turned to face him again.

"Never mind." Auron muttered, so I turned away once more, confused, as I walked down the path. But then I stopped. I could not hear Auron's footsteps following close behind. In fact, I couldn't hear him following me at all. I slowed, then turned to look behind me and stopped as I stared in horrification.

There stood Auron beside the bank of the sparkling lake, holding an elegant white feather. Before he noticed me staring I quickly turned away and began to walk back towards the camp, quickly.

_How careless of me! I should have known! _I scolded myself, then finally entered the camp and quietly walked over to my place near the tree.

The sky was getting lighter and I knew that in just two hours we'd be leaving. Nonetheless, I crossed my arms over my chest, drew my knees up and rested them there before finally bowing my head and closing my eyes.

_I hope he doesn't suspect me! No. Calm down. He has no reason to suspect me. _

I sighed heavily, then slowly drifted to sleep, but only to be awaken, for what felt like only minutes later, to morning that shone brightly in my eyes.

* * *

><p>Everyone was full of energy, ready to get up, ready for battle, ready for another walk in the forest. Except for me. I was dead tired. I wanted to keep on sleeping. I thought I might fall asleep standing if it wasn't for Rikku and her jumping around me with excitement.<p>

"Yes! On to the Calm Land! I've never been there before…have you been there before? I wonder what it will look like. Why did they call it the Calm Lands?"

"Um…you're asking the wrong person." I muttered as I tied my sword about my waist, resisting the urge to withdraw it. Rikku just smiled.

"Oh, so you've never been there either? Cool, that makes two of us!"

"Rikku!" Tidus shouted and she turned to him. "You're driving her crazy!"

"Aw, but I was just asking what the Calm Lands were and what they looked like…" Rikku shrugged.

"You'll see when we get there." Lulu replied.

"Okay!" Rikku exclaimed before skipping away from me. I sighed softly to myself, still tired, but unable to sleep, so as we all began to head out I walked at the rear of the group. I took out some dried meat and chewed on that a while, took some water and tried to be more alert. I knew that now everyone was going to expect me to do a whole lot better in battle.

As we walked silently through the woods, Auron walked in front of me, and I stared at his back as I thought back to last night. When he'd picked that feather up off the ground, he seemed to have examined it closely. I bit my bottom lip nervously.

_I hope he doesn't try to pursue what kind of feather it is…there's no way any bird in Spira could produce such a feather. _

Several hours later, uneventful, I realized we were walking out of the forest and onto a more wider road. On both sides of us rose jutting rocks and boulders, rising higher as we went farther up the grade. I looked around me at the moss and lichen covered rocks, looking at the many grooves and cracks on them.

As we continued on up, Rikku and Yuna began to fall back behind me. Now, I walked behind Tidus and Wakka while Kimahri and Lulu stood on either side of me, Auron behind me. It was slowly becoming more and more quiet.

"Ugh," Rikku sighed suddenly, "How much longer do we have to go up this grade?"

"We won't actually reach the Calm Lands until dusk, ya." Wakka replied. "It's already late afternoon." He added and Rikku sighed again. _Late afternoon and we haven't seen any fiends. Something's wrong._

I looked up at the cliff wall beside me and then at the other that rose on the other side. All the while they were becoming more and more eerie looking and higher. It was _very _quiet.

The rock walls loomed over us like giants, glaring at us as we walked on up the steep grade. It seemed as though we were all thinking the same thing as an overwhelming feeling of dread, cold, and fear took hold of our hearts.

_Something's not right. _I thought, then Tidus abruptly stopped and one by one we all did. The walls created a shadow that cast over us and blocked the sun so that little light shone down on us and we slowly turned to see the full length of the walls. Then we looked down.

All along the ground, we noticed rocks jutted out of the earth, some flat, some sharp, some tall, some short. The more up the grade we looked, the more rocks there were. It was slowly looking more like we were climbing a mountain than a grassy hill.

"This place is really creepy." Rikku whispered as she stepped up on one of the rocks, squatting down on it as she looked frighteningly around her.

"Yeah…it is." Tidus agreed, then ran over to a taller rock and jumped up on it, turning around in a circle to get a better look around.

"It's too quiet." Lulu pointed out.

"Could fiends be around?" Yuna asked as she looked up and around at the tall cliffs and jutting boulders.

"Possibly. But something's different." Auron replied. Then, we began to look more closely at the walls and realized they almost seemed like there were faces in the rock. Not like normal faces, but those of creatures. Creatures within the cliffs.

_What's going on? _I asked, but received no answer. I backed up several steps and had the eerie feeling of being watched.

_Shadow? _

_No. _Ida replied suddenly, and I stumbled a little as my heel hit the ledge of a rock behind me. As I was turning and was trying to catch my balance there was a sudden violent shake of the ground.

"Wow!"

"Hey!"

"Watch out!"

All at once, the rocks in the ground began to move and rise out of the earth like they were growing. They increased their speed and we all stepped back as we watched in awe, pulling out our weapons quickly.

"What's going on?"

What do we do?"

But no one answered these questions as the sound of socks grinding against one another filled the air. Clumps of dirt and grass fell from the boulders, pebbles and rocks falling like hail, causing us to cover our heads.

"AHHHH!"

We all spunaround to the sound of Rikku's scream, but where she once stood was a towering rock formation that seemed to have just come out of no where. At first, we thought she had been crushed under the large boulder like structure, but then we looked up and gasped.

"Rikku!" Yuna called in fright. The rock that held Rikku high in the air leaned over, and we gasped again as we noticed the inhuman face that was carved out in the rock.

"Rock Giants!" Lulu exclaimed.

"Help me!" Rikku screamed.

I took a step back then gasped as the air suddenly rushed past me and the sound of rock was heard behind me. I covered my head as rocks and clumps of dirt fell from the sky.

"Cynyr get away!" Someone shouted, but as I was about to move I was suddenly lifted from the ground and gripped by rough, cold rock. I gasped and grabbed hold of the boulder as I was lifted higher and the others below grew smaller as they cried out to me.

My hair whipped about my face as I continued to rise, then I abruptly stopped and my stomach lurched. Clutching the rock beneath me I looked up with wide and frightful eyes. The massive rock face of the giant couldn't have been no more than five feet away from my face.

Suddenly, I heard the shouts of the others and I quickly turned to look and realized the rest of my friends were also being captured.

I heard several of them shout at one another and heard Lulu try to cast spells upon the giants, but to no avail. Our weapons were useless, and I stared back up at the face of the Rock Giant in fright, and it stared right back at me.

His face was almost skeleton like. His eye sockets hollowed out, his "cheek bones" risen and sunken in, while the the rest of his face suffered deformity.

_Speak to it. _Ida said calmly, and I blinked in bewilderment.

_What? How can I speak to it? _

_Use your mind. _

I swallowed hard as I nervously stared up at the Rock Giant, then turned to look behind me at the others. Each of them were calling out in fright and trying to get the giants to let go of them. Then, my eyes found Auron and I realized he was much more calmer than the others. Of course, he was calm about most things.

I then remembered Auron had been through here before. Ten years ago. But that didn't explain the look of fear and confusion that was clearly written on his face.

_These Rock Giants could crush us easily. _

_Ye could. _

I gasped in surprise as I received an answer, the voice gravely and rough inside my head. I looked back up at the giant, but his face remained blank. He was a rock, after all. Now, I grew a little calmer, and I turned back to the others once more and cleared my throat.

"Guys!" I shouted, but they couldn't hear me over their own voices. So, I tried again.

"Yo! Guys!" Still, they couldn't hear me. I rolled my eyes and growled in my throat with frustration.

"HEY! SHUT UP!"

All at once, there was silence, except for the sound of rocks and pebbles falling, and they all turned to me in surprise. I cleared my throat again, a little startled that they had actually turned their attention to me.

"Listen," I began in a much calmer voice, "I think I know how to get us out of this."

"How?" Wakka exclaimed suddenly. "Were stuck, ya!"

"None of our weapons will work!" Rikku reported.

"And it's not like we can just say: hey can you please put us down?" Tidus remarked, his voice a lot higher than normal. I bit my lip as I averted my eyes from him a moment.

"Wait…" Tidus began as he saw the look on my face, but I was already turning away from him. Now, I stared back up at the Rock Giant's face...then I closed my eyes for better concentration.

_What is that you want from us?_

_Ye ask why thou pass on ye's land. _The gravely, deep voice replied.

"Auron! You've been here before! Get us out of this mess!" I heard Tidus exclaimed from behind me.

"Humph! To tell you the truth, yes, I've been here before, but no not like this." I tried to ignore them.

_We're on a Pilgrimage…to save Spira…we come in peace. _I thought slowly and calmly.

"Hey! Cynyr! What are you doing?" Tidus shouted.

"Are you really talking to it?" Rikku called and I sighed as I opened my eyes.

"Guys, talk to them with your mind!" I called back, a little frustrated now.

"What?" Wakka exclaimed. "Are you crazy?" Now, I turned to look at him, a glare on my face.

"Do you want to get down or not? Use your mind to speak to it. Fine with me if you don't believe me, but how about trying it to see if it works?"

The others were silent as they all stared at me like I was crazy and I finally turned away with a roll of my eyes and a heavy sigh.

_My friends are in distress. Will you put down? _

_Ye will put thy down for ye sees that thou is child of Fayth. _I almost gasped aloud when he said this and was about to reply when I heard Tidus shout from behind me.

"H-hey! H-he's talking to me! This rock is actually talking to me!"

"Have you gone crazy to, ya!" Wakka exclaimed.

"Seriously! Try it, Wakka! Everyone!" Tidus exclaimed before growing silent again. I sighed softly to myself.

_How did you know I was a Child of the Fayth? _

_Thou may be human, but thou bares mark of Fayth. Ye thinks of the as friend. Ye thinks of the as sister._

_But then…how do you know the Fayth? _Suddenly, before the Rock Giant could reply he and the other Rock Giants suddenly began to lower us to the ground. I clutched the rock beneath me as the wind rushed past me for the second time, and when my feet touched the grass I released the Giant and he released me.

_Ye is of the Fayth as well. _Was all the Rock Giant said before slowly rising. Then, he and all the others began to sink back into the earth, as if it were sinking sand, their bodies becoming one with the earth like before. As I watched them go I began to slowly process what he had meant about him being of the Fayth.

_Ye lets thy humans pass without trouble. _

_Wait! _I bit my lip as the Rock Giant actually stopped to look at me. I heard the others from behind me speaking in awe so I quickly asked.

_Will you do us a favor? Keep the Yevonites from passing through…_

_As thy wish, ye will grant. _

Then he disappeared back beneath the earth, leaving behind only a small flat rock that stuck out of the ground. Everything looked as it once did, but the passage up ahead was now open. _He must have seen the markings on my face. _I thought, then quickly pulled some of my hair more around my forehead so I could hide the blue symbols.

_How was he once of the the Fayth, Ida? _

_Before we made you...they were the first. But they could not defeat Shadow. _

"How'd you know, ya?" Wakka suddenly asked with surprise, slight suspicion in his voice as I turned to look at him. I shrugged as I slowly replied.

"It read my thoughts and spoke back to me…that's when I realized we could communicate with them."

"That's so awesome!" Rikku exclaimed in excitement, the complete contrast of what she had felt earlier.

"So, what did you say?" Tidus asked.

"I just asked him if he'd set us down and let us pass…after I told him we were on a Pilgrimage." I added.

"Huh, I was expecting some sort of riddle that we had to answer." Rikku mused, and I smiled.

"Thank you, Lady Cynyr." Yuna suddenly said, bowing as she smiled up at me. I shook my head.

"It was nothing…really."

"You saved all of our lives, Cynyr. It _was_ something." Lulu said with crossed arms, but she was smiling.

"Well…I guess I did…didn't I." I said with my own smile, then we all began to turn back towards the road ahead.

"Now, we can get to the Calm Lands without any trouble." Yuna said before walking ahead, Tidus following close beside her. It wasn't until after I was beginning to walk behind Kimahri that I noticed Auron was standing behind me and staring at me.

I stopped and turned to him questioningly.

"What?" I asked slowly.

"You're a surprise around every corner." He replied with amusement, but I sensed suspicion in his voice. I wasn't sure what to say to that so I stood there in silence, remembering the mark on my forehead and raised a hand to cover more of my face with my hair.

"We should go." I finally replied, turning back around to follow the others. All the while, Auron stayed close behind.

* * *

><p>Wakka and Tidus set down a small pile of wood, wood that they had taken a long time to find. We had finally come to the wide open spaces of the Calm Lands and it was getting dark, fast. Luckily, we had found a small alcove that sat near the grade.<p>

Everyone was tired, thirsty, and hungry. We ate what little dried meat we had left and drank only a little of what water we had. Yuna said that by tomorrow we'd most likely come across another Travel Agency, and we could stock back up for the rest of the journey.

At the mention of the Travel Agency, I thought of Rin. H_e won't be there. _I thought sorrowfully as I sat in front of the fire that Lulu was casting upon. _Don't worry Rin. I'll save you. And I'll kill Shadow once and for all! Shadow will be returning soon. I can feel it._

"Something wrong, Lady Cynyr?" Yuna asked suddenly, and I looked up in a bit of surprise.

"Hmm? Oh…nothing. I was just thinking." I lied with a small smile. Yuna nodded and Lulu sat back next to her as the fire flickered and cracked. Tidus and Wakka sat silently near by; too tired to speak much. Kimahri stood outside the alcove with Auron while Rikku walked around swinging her arms with a look of determination on her face.

_What's her problem? _

Suddenly, she turned and walked over to the fire to sit down with us and stared into the flames intently. I glanced over at her but she was so busy thinking that she didn't notice me. I mentally shrugged to myself and decided to go outside to sit a while.

"Hey, where are you going?" Tidus suddenly asked and I turned to look at him with a quizzical look on my face.

_Since when do you care? _

"Out…side?" I replied slowly and Tidus shrugged. "Okay, I just thought you'd be going to talk-" He stopped abruptly as Wakka smacked him in the arm and he quickly shut up. I looked at the two of them suspiciously but now they refused to look at me.

I looked over at Rikku, Yuna, and Lulu, but they were all looking at anything else but me. _What's going on? Why are they all acting so weird? _I thought as I slowly turned away, then walked out of the alcove past Kimahri and Auron.

Neither of them said anything to me and I walked a good distance before sitting down at the top of the hill to stare out at the setting sun. It's glowing rays shown behind the other smaller hills, casting shadows and making the place look forbidden. I took in a deep breath, my lungs filling with the sweet air, and then I slowly let it out.

A refreshing wind blew past and whipped up my hair, but I quickly captured some strands and began to pull them back over my face. _I know I'm the only out here…but it's necessary. I can't take any chances. _Thirty minutes had passed, and I heard footsteps approaching me from behind and I stilled as I listened and waited for them to come.

They sat down next to me with a heavy sigh and I turned to look who it was.

"Rikku?"

She held her chin in her hands, an annoyed look on her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked slowly and she sighed again before looking up at me with her eyes, keeping her chin in her hands.

"Auron. Who else?" My heart fluttered at the sound of his name and my ears perked up.

"What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything…he said something to me." She rolled her eyes as she said this and I smiled a small smile.

"He's just so…annoying and grouchy!" She exclaimed as she threw her hands up in exasperation, not even mentioning what he had said to her.

"You know?" She added. "He's so anti-social."

"Yeah…" I agreed, looking back out at the hills.

"But you…he seems so nice and not so grouchy around you." Rikku suddenly said and I shifted my eyes to her, looking at her suspiciously.

"When you guys are around each other it's like he doesn't mind your company…" Rikku trailed off slowly and I sat up a little straighter.

"I…suppose." I replied just as slowly. She smiled a small smile and glanced over at me with those big green eyes.

"He's also real protective of you…almost as much as he is with Yuna." I opened my mouth to reply when she suddenly turned to me with bright, curious green eyes and spoke again.

"So, what do you think about Auron?" Taken aback, I blinked in surprise and then shook my head.

"Nothing." Rikku didn't buy this.

"You're such a liar. You like him, don't you!" She exclaimed and I shifted uncomfortably, hoping Auron wasn't hearing any of this conversation, even if he _was_ several yards away. Her voice carried in the Calm Lands.

"Rikku…"

"Aha! I knew it!" She exclaimed before I could even say anymore. Now, I glared at her, but she wasn't looking at me.

"It's okay. I won't tell anyone! Even though…it's practically not even a secret." I shot her a look and now she turned to face me. _What! How is it noticeable…how- I mean…wait I don't like him! I like him as a friend!_

"Uh, yeah…everyone can see it." Rikky continued, "you guys are soooo close- it's so noticeable!" I glared at her, but she just smiled and then looked behind her. She grinned and I didn't like the look on her face.

"Well, bye!" She exclaimed suddenly before hopping up and running back towards the alcove. As she left I could hear another pair of footsteps and my ears perked up at the sound, but I dared not turn to see who it was.

_There's no way we like each other in that way. Or…what if he does…_

They sat down beside me and I knew it was Auron immediately. On instinct, I reached up to pull more of my hair around my face. Then, Auron's hand shot up suddenly and he grabbed my wrist before I could even touch my hair. Startled, I looked over at him.

"Why do you do that?" He asked and I swallowed hard. _Has it been that obvious? Does he suspect something? Did he see my marks? _

"Do what?" I lied, wanting to play dumb in hopes of getting out of the situation.

"You're always hiding your face from me. Why?" Auron asked firmly, still gripped my wrist which wasn't getting any blood to it. I averted my eyes from him a few times as I replied.

"I-I don't hide my face…Auron."

"That's a lie." Auron scowled, then we were silent a moment and he slowly lowered my hand to the ground, but he still held onto me. I watched him cautiously then got the feeling he might reach up and pull my hair away from my face.

Before he could say or do anymore I turned my head away from him and quickly took back my hand. There was an awkward silence between us, and I continued to stare out at the sky, watching the sun set gracefully behind the horizon.

_That was close. Too close. I could have been done for there. _I thought nervously. I glanced over in Auron's direction, but he was staring off at the hills of the Calm Lands, a stern look upon his face as usual.

I slowly turned back to him and rested my hands beside me before finally speaking.

"Have you ever loved someone, Auron?" This seemed to surprise him and he looked over at me with an unreadable expression.

"I mean…" I began with a shrug, "someone you felt really close to. Someone you just fell in love with?" Auron looked at me for a long time before answering and I looked right back at him, waiting anxiously for his answer.

"No." He turned away from me and my shoulders slumped.

"Oh…"

I would have loved to say something like: "Liar!" but I decided to stick with "oh." Now, I was trying to think of something else to say, which wasn't easy because I needed something that Auron would actually respond to.

"Auron…" I began slowly as I looked up at the sky, seeing the moon appear in the darkened sky above the lighter. He turned slightly to look at me, but I continued to look up at the moon.

"If you could reach out and take the moon…what would you do with it?"

It was a silly question. One I might have asked when I was twelve…but it was the only thing I could come up with and it seemed to fit the mood. Nonetheless, that didn't mean Auron would answer. He was silent for a long time to the point I thought he was ignoring me because I was being so idiotic.

_Well…so much for that. _I thought with a small sigh.

"Why are you asking me this?"

I immediately turned to him in a bit of surprise, and realized he was staring at me intently. I bit my lip then slowly smiled as I shrugged.

"Because, I couldn't think of anything else to talk about…" I laughed to myself and Auron actually smiled. Then it was silent again.

"Why don't you sing?"

I turned to him in surprise, my brows furrowing as I reached up and pulled some more strands about the side of my face.

"Why do you care?"

"Hmm…because it's a gift you should share." I bit my lip nervously as I looked away from him and back up at the sky.

_Is he saying he wants to here me sing? _

"I know…it's a gift…" I began slowly, "but, I just don't feel comfortable singing in front of others." I replied slowly and nervously, avoiding his gaze still.

"Humph. Have you ever tried?"

"Well…no." At this, Auron looked over at me with an amused look in his eye and I looked back, but I had a look of annoyance on my face.

"Auron…" I sighed as I quickly looked away. "No." I added defiantly. Auron chuckled and looked away from me, shifting slightly where he sat, seeming to get closer to me. Without thinking, I scooted a little closer to him as well.

It was quiet, but peaceful, and neither of us said a word as I kept glancing over at him and he kept glancing over at me. Then, as the sun kissed the hills I felt his hand brush against mine until at last, his hand rested upon mine.

* * *

><p>Awww! How sweet! ^-^ I smile every time I read this part. Who liked this chapter! :D<p>

Now for a special scene when the others began talking to the Rock Giants. Thoughts that the others might have thought.

Rikku: _So, can you talk?_

Wakka:_ I'm talking to you, ya and you're not answering! _

Tidus: _Hey, how's it going! _

Lulu: _Put. Me. Down. _

Yuna: _Please don't hurt us! _

Auron: _I'm NOT talking to this rock._

Kimahri: _Kimahri want down, NOW! Must protect Yuna! _

**You...yeah you, the one reading this...Review please. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing! I own only my characters and things...

BLAHHHH! Safari's being mean to me! . Now I'm having to use Enternet Explorer...which doesn't have spellcheck like Safari did so this really sucks. Cause I tend to misspell words by accident and won't even realize it...grrr.

Anyways, sorry if grammer and spelling was a little off in last chapter. I'm hoping I don't make to many in this one cause it **WILL **bother me. :P So, if there is, let me know because I will want to fix it.

This one's a short chapter...I know...sowwie. But the next chapter will hopefully be a lot longer. :) Anyways, enjoy! Oh, and thank you all for the reviews! ^-^

* * *

><p>"<strong>And…" <strong>

"Hate to break up the romantic moment," Tidus exclaimed right beside our ears, causing us both to jump away, "but it's getting late and _anything _could happen out here in the dark." Both Auron and I immedaitely turned to Tidus in surprise.

He had one elbow propped up on my shoulder while his other was on Auron's, so he was too close for his own good. Auron immediately pushed him away and Tidus took a nervous step back. I immediately looked away with embarrassment with my hands in my lap.

_I hate you Tidus._

"Are you _trying _to get killed?" Auron threatened and Tidus began to laugh.

"Just coming over to check up on you guys!"

I finally turned my head towards Tidus as Auron began to rise from the ground, a look of I'm-going-to-kill-you on his face. I stood up as well.

"Oh, I almost forgot." I began. "I meant to thank you for saving me back in Macalania…when I almost drown. I wouldn't be alive today if you hadn't gone after me." I smiled sweetly and Tidus nervously scratched the back of his head as he averted his eyes from me.

"Oh…right. Yes…um your welcome."

"Huh." Auron suddenly laughed, then began to walk back to the alcove. I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked at Tidus as he looked from me to the ground then finally sighed.

"Okay! Okay…" He exclaimed as he shook his head, then he turned and began walking back towards the alcove as well. I laughed lightly to myself then, followed.

I sat down next to Yuna and Lulu as Rikku slept peacefully near by, close to the fire. Kimahri stood in the shadows behind us and Wakka was sitting across from us as he looked into the fire with a frown on his face. He looked to be thinking, at it seemed to be takign a a lot of effeort.

"What's up with you, Wakka?" Tidus asked as he sat down next to the Blitzer. Wakka didn't reply so Tidus poked him in the shoulder. Still, he didn't reply or even turn to Tidus. I watched with amusement.

"Waaaaakkaaaa?" Tidus sang softly, then reached up and flicked some of his long red hair. The strand that once stood straight up now pointed in a different direction, towards the left and Tidus found this amusing.

He grinned and flicked another strand of Wakka's hair, glancing down at him before flicking him again. Apparently, Wakka was oblivious to what Tidus was doing. Either that or he was trying to ignore Tidus.

Now, Tidus rose on his knees, aiming for the clump of red hair that stood taller than the rest and both Yuna and Lulu slowly turned to watch. Yuna smiled with amusement and Lulu smirked.

"Don't." Wakka suddenly demanded, and Tidus jumped a little, but he didn't move his hand. I watched as Wakka moved his eyes towards Tidus and Tidus moved his to look down at him. As each of them stared at one another, they looked as though they were daring the other to move.

Tidus slowly smiled before shifting his eyes back up at the tall mountain of hair, then smacked it hard. It immediately limped over to the left and Wakka growled with frustration as he jumped Tidus, tackling him to the ground. Tidus yelped and the rest of us began to laugh as Wakka pulled Tidus into a choke hold.

"You do _not _mess with my hair, ya?" Wakka threatened as Tidus struggled against Wakka, laughing and choking at the same time.

"Typical." Auron muttered from behind me.

"Okay! Okay!" Tidus chocked out as he grabbed at Wakka's arm.

"Nope!" Wakka exclaimed.

"Mercy! Mercy!" Tidus shouted, but Wakka still wouldn't give in. Tidus frowned with frustration.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Wakka laughed at this and finally let him go and Tidus rubbed his neck as he winced in pain and glared over at the red head.

"Geez, Wakka…it's just hair!" Wakka was now trying to fix the fallen strands and I heard Yuna giggle.

"Besides," Tidus began again as he glanced over at Yuna, "isn't that kind of…you know…a _girl _thing?" Wakka immediately shot him a death glare and Tidus began to laugh while Yuna giggled with amusement.

"You two settle down." Lulu finally said. "Rikku's asleep and so should the two of you. We have another long day of travel tomorrow."

"Yeah, Tidus!" Wakka exclaimed immediately. Tidus laughed a short laugh as he sat down a good distance away from him.

"She means you too, Wakka." Lulu gave both of them a glare and they immediately shut up before lying down and closing their eyes, getting ready to sleep.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" I whispered, causing Lulu to smile a small smile.

"You have to earn respect, first."

"Lulu always has Wakka in line." Yuna giggled quietly.

* * *

><p>Several minutes later in the night, both Lulu and Yuna were asleep close to the fire. Kimahri, Auron, and I were the only one's left awake. For me, I wasn't quite ready to go to sleep yet.<p>

I sat in front of the fire, a stick in hand as I began snapping it in little pieces, throwing them into the fire. I heard Auron's footsteps come up from behind me, and I looked up at at him as he sat down beside me.

"You should sleep." Auron stated quietly. I shrugged.

"Not tired yet."

I snapped off another small piece of the wood and then tossed it into the flames. It sparked and popped and I watched as the wood burned.

"Hey, Auron…" I began softly, and I heard him turn to me. "Random question…what do you think of me?" I asked almost nervously, continuing to throw pieces of twigs inside the fire.

_I hope that wasn't a stupid question. I hope he answers me. _

_Snap! Snap! Snap! _I had half a stick left. _Pop! Crackle, pop! _Went the fire.

"Why do you want to know?"

I raked my teeth over my bottom lip before pressing them together again, then I shrugged.

"Just a question." I replied smoothly, but I really _did _want to know what he thought. I was really beginning to consider Yuna's words back in the Corridors of Confusion. _Snap! _Auron shifted a little and cleared his throat.

_Is he…nervous? _

I stole a glance at him and almost smiled when I noticed his tinted glasses on the bridge of his nose. No, it wasn't new, but it seemed amusing how he had them on all the time. Even during the night.

The fire's light glowed on his dark skin, creating shadows in his features and hair. The silver strands that stuck out and away from his face shone as well as the lenses in his glasses. I tried to see more of his face, but it was shrouded by shadows and his silly collar.

"Well…" Auron finally began and I looked back down at my hands, the half broken stick still between my thumb and forefinger. Instead of snapping off more of it, I began dragging it through the dirt.

"You're a very strong willed woman…you're brave, you're an excellent fighter, you're quiet at times…usually speaking when need be." He paused and suddenly smiled. I looked up at him questioningly.

"You're stubborn." Now, he looked over at me and I smiled as I looked away again.

"You're smart," Auron continued, "I think you have a wonderful voice." His eyes flickered in my direction and I immediately blushed as I bent my head more in hopes of hiding my face. Auron must have noticed because he began to chuckle.

"You're confident, and…" He suddenly stopped, as if realizing he didn't want to finish that sentence and I immediately caught this. I stopped drawing in the dirt and looked up at him expectantly.

He avoided looking at me and seemed to sink lower into his collar.

_Was he…blushing? Awwww! I mean- WHAT! _

"And?" I prompted with a slow smile. Auron's eyes flickered in my direction before shrugging.

"Go on…" I urged, and he sighed in defeat.

"And…" He began slowly in a lower voice, "I think…you're beautiful." Auron muttered the last part, obviously hoping I hadn't heard, but I had and I blushed immensely.

I turned away quickly as I bit my lip through a smile and dragged my stick through the dirt some more. Nervously.

_Did he really just say that? I'm beautiful- he thinks I'm beautiful! _

"Thanks." I replied, but Auron just grunted and tried for a glare, but failed miserably. _Teehee! _I couldn't help think, and scribbled through the dirt again. Trying to hide my smile, I propped my head up in one hand as I contiued to look down at the ground.

"Your turn." Auron suddenly said, and I lifted my head from my hand to stare at him. He wasn't looking at me. Instead, he looked into the flames of the fire and waited for me to start. I smiled to myself and looked back down at the scribbles in the dirt.

"I suppose I should be fair." I said with amusement, but Auron didn't say anything.

"Well…" I began, "I think you're fun to be around-" Auron immediately snorted and I turned to look at him.

"What?" I asked with a smile. Auron just shook his head and was silent.

"You're fun to be around, because I can make you laugh and smile…and you're funny when you're angry."

"Humph." I smiled and shot Auron a glance. He was still, but he was listening, so I continued.

"You're brave, strong…always serious and stern, but you can be kind and gentle when you want." Auron stirred slightly, and I bit back a smile.

"I like talking to you…I think your face expressions are funny." I laughed lightly, and Auron looked up at me with a raised brow. I laughed again as I found this expression also amusing.

Auron grunted as he turned away again.

"Well, I'm so glad my face expressions amuse you." He said sarcastically.

"Anyways," I began with a small smile, "I can trust you…and you're really nice to me, on the good days." I added. Suddenly, I thought of my wings, and I glanced over at Auron curiously. _No. You mustn't' tell anyone. Not even him. Even if he has told you about his secret…this one…no. I can't. _

"I look up to you," I continued, "and…" I trailed off as I tried to think of something else. When I did I immediately decided against it. I bit my lip nervously and shrugged.

"And?" Auron mocked as he looked over at me. I turned to him and suddenly realized what I had done. I had fallen right into my own trap and now I was going to have to finish. There was no way Auron was going to let me get by when I hadn't let him.

Again, I bit my lip nervously as I looked back down at my sketches in the dirt.

_Well, if he can do, so can I. _

"And…" I began slowly and softly. I knew Auron was enjoying this. "I think…you're really attractive." I finally finished, hiding my now reddened face.

Suddenly, Auron began to chuckle and I turned to him in surprise. _What's so funny! I sure didn't laugh at _him_! _Auron looked up at me and smiled.

"Well, I don't remember laughing at you, Auron." He laughed lightly again. Then, I felt his arm snake around my waist as he pulled me towards him, causing my heart to jump. I felt my face heat up for what felt like the hundredth time.

As he held me around the waist I suddenly realized how close our heads were, and if we were to turn our lips would surely collide. I licked at my lips.

My heart was beating a mile a minute inside my chest, my face was flustered and I felt the Pyerflies in my stomach flutter with nervousness. Then, I felt his hand move up my side, giving me chills, as he continued up my back.

I felt his hand rested between my shoulder blades, between the pair of wings that were folded snuggly beneath my armor.

_It's iso ronic. _

I bit my lip nervously as his hand stayed there for several seconds, then he turned his head and moved his hand to the side of my face and I was forced to look at him as well. Our faces had to be two inches away from each other. I could feel his hot breath on my face and our thighs were touching.

Then, he slid his hand back behind my ear as he stared into my eyes and I stared back. His one russet eye seeming to search inside me as he ran his fingers through my long brown hair, giving me goose bumps immediately.

We were silent, but that was okay. We didn't need to say anything and I didn't know why. We just kept staring at one another, his hand leaving my hair to rest around my waist once more.

_I think I'm falling… _

His hand came up along my side and my heart raced as I felt his fingers fiddle with the straps that held my breast plate in place. He was trying to unbuckle them. My stomach flipped and the Pyerflies returned.

_No. He mustn't'. _I thought.

_Stop. _Ida said sternly and I averted my eyes away from Auron before slowly lifting a hand up to meet his. He stopped fiddling with the buckles and I glanced up at him. I couldn't read his expression, but I was sure it was a look of disappointed.

_I want him to hold me too…but if he were to take my armor off… _I almost sighed aloud.

I looked away from Auron and began to draw away. He didn't stop me, and his hand slowly slid away from my waist.

"Sorry." Auron began and I looked down at my hands, my hair falling about my face to hide my expression.

"I wasn't trying to do anything…" He trailed off as I shook my head, then I looked up at him.

"No…I know. It's just-" I stopped as I bit my lip with uncertainty.

_Just what? _

"We need to remember where we are and what were suppose to be doing." I finally finished and Auron nodded.

"Of course."

At the same time, we both turned to look over at Yuna. She slept soundly next to Lulu and Rikku, who had rolled over in her sleep and had cuddled closer to her cousin. I heard something fall into the fire and realized Auron had thrown a pebble into the flames.

Now, there was an awkward silence.

Without speaking, I got up and slowly walked around him and towards the opening of the alcove. Half way there, Auron suddenly spoke.

"Where are you going?" I stopped and turned a little so I could see him over my shoulder.

"Just out for a while. I'll be back." I replied. Auron looked away then reached over somewhere beside him. When he turned back to me, before I could say anything, I turned fully around and quickly raised my hands as my sheathed sword was tossed towards me.

"Take that. Be careful. Don't be out to long, either." Was all Auron said before I nodded my thanks, attached my sword to my back and then walked out into the night.

As the cool air hit my skin and the sounds of the night filled the air, I walked farhter and farther away from the alcove. After several minutes of walking, I turned to look back. The alcove was the size of a coin, an illuminated light in the darkness.

I took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly, then, turning back around, I contiuned on through the Calm Lands. With the full moon as my guide, I soon found a large boulder that jutted out of the ground, a small saplings growing side ways next to it. There was where I stopped.

_Fwip! Snap! Clink. _I removed my armor one by one until I wore only my tank top and shorts. I decided to keep my gloves on. The air was bitter and would likely freeze my fingers in the wind when I flew.

Setting my things down behind the boulder, I finally walked a good distance away and began to open my wings. _Fwoop! _I stretched both them and my arms and legs before crouching lower to the ground. Then, I sprinted forward, with my feet thudding on the ground, my heart racing as my lungs filled with air.

I jumped. My feet immedaitely leaving the ground as I opened my wings and let them catch the wind. Higher and higher I rose, faster and harder I flapped. With my hair blown back behind me, the wind blowing hard against my face, I squinted through the darkness as I rose towards the moon.

_If you could reach out and take the moon…what would you do with it? _The phrase suddenly repeated inside my head, and I smiled a small smile.

"I would give it to the one I love." I whispered into the wind. Suddenly, from below I saw a light. Something shimmering and fading in and out. I looked down as I let myself glide across the sky, slowly descending. As I came closer to the ground I got a better look of what it was that stood on the ground. Or who.

My eyes widened in surprise and I immediately swooped down towards them. They looked up at me and waved as they smiled that unforgettable smile I always knew.

"Mother!" I exclaimed as I landed before her. I walked closer towards her as I folded my wings against my back and smiled with happiness.

"Hello, my dear." Ida replied. Her piercing blue eyes shimmered against her pale skin, her long black hair barely visible against the dark sky.

"What are you doing here?" I asked with slight confusion, even if I _was _glad to see her.

"I've come to warn you." Ida began, her smile slowly fading. I bit my lip as I immediately thought back to what happened with Auron and I.

"Right…about that." I began slowly and uncomfortably. Ida smiled a small smile.

"Cynyr…you are only human. I know that."

"Then…what it is you've come to warn me about?" I asked slowly.

"Shadow." My eyes widened a little and she smiled sadly.

"Rin…too. Shadow has become a lot more stronger, and he's working hard to get enough power to destroy you. That means you've got to stay focused. Ignore everything else. You are on a mission. You must complete without fail. You are _our _last hope." She said sternly. I nodded.

"How will I defeat him, though?"

"You will use all of your will power…and the energy that's inside you. Your wings, will of course aid you to fight him."

"What of Auron?" I asked slowly as I shifted from one foot to the other. Ida smiled knowingly and took a step closer to me before laying a hand on my shoulder.

"You've fallen in love with him. Haven't you?" I bit my lip as I nodded slowly.

"But you know that you cannot." Immediately understanding, I bowed my head a little in sorrow as I nodded again, then I looked back up.

"But…isn't there anything I can do? Anything at all?" I asked in a pleading voice. "I'm in love with him, but he's an unsent...there's gotta be a way!" Ida smiled a small but sad smile.

"There's something you need to see..." Then, before I could say or do anything, she reached into her cloak pocket and pulled out an apple sized glass ball. It shone in the moonlight and she held it out to me. I looked from her to the glass orb then slowly reached out and took it from her.

Amost immediately an image appearded inside and I drew the orb closer to my face to look within the glass. Suddenly, there was a bright light that flashed from the ball and it engulfed both my mother and I. I gasped as I felt the globe heat up in my hand and quickly drew it away from my face.

Then, I yelped in pain as it got ever hotter, so I quickly dropped it. But instead of it falling it jumped into the air high above my head. Then, the light faded and I was no longer in the Calm Lands. I was in Zanarkand, and Pyerflies were everywhere. I stood on a large, flat platform that was decorated with Yevon's symbols. But that wasn't what drew my attention the most.

In the center of the platform, several yards away, stood a young man with black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, his back to me. He wore a dark red jacket, one that looked very much like Auron's, and in his hand was a very large katana.

My eyes grew wide in surprise as I realized, several yards away, stood Lady Yunalesca, and he was shouting something to her about Jecht and Braska.

_Auron! _

"They chose to die...because they had hope." Yunalesca was saying. Her voice was calm and quiet like, yet dangerous and intimidating. The younger Auron suddenly cried out loudly in anger, raising his sword up high as he charged at Yunalesca. I gasped and took a step forward as Auron jumped up into the air.

As he held his sword up over his head and was about to strike, I watched wide eyed as Yunalesca lifted a hand and a force field immedaitely surrounded her.

_No, way! _

Auron struck the force field and I had a sudden flashback of when I had been in the same situation. Electricity zapped around the katana and shot him backward at a miraculous speed. My heart seemed to stop as I watched with my mouth a gap as Auron flew backwards towards me.

"Auron!" I screamed as he landed on his neck, the rest of his body collapsing with it. His sword fipped through the air as well, then landed beside him with a _thunk _as it stuck into the stone. For a moment, I just stood there frozen in horor and fear. Then, I ran towards him, tears beginning to fall from my eyes as I reached out with both of my hands.

"Auron!" I cried out again, then gasped and came to an sbrupt stop as I found his form disappearing. Looking around me I realized that the image, the memory was fadding away as well, back to white light. I held my hands to my chest as I looked away and closed my eyes, my heart beating a mile a minute.

Now, I was back in the Calm Lands again, and I looked up slowly to find Ida looking solemnly back at me, the glass orb falling from the sky to land in her open hand. She tucked it away back inside her cloak, but didn't speak.

"Ida…" I began as I clutched at my aching heart, "there's gotta be a way!" I exclaimed. "Something, anything. I will do whatever it takes!"

"My dear," She began, "you cannot bring the dead back to life. He yearns for the Farplane whether he wants to go or not. He is no longer living" She explained and my brows suddenly furrowed.

"No." I said defiantly and she cocked a brow. "There's always something...something, anything Ida. Think! I'll do anything! It isn't fair...he didn't get a chance..." I whispered the last words as I looked down at my feet, tears welling up in my eyes again. For a long time, there was silence between us.

"Well." Ida suddenly began, and I looked up at her immediately. "Now, that I think about it…" She trailed off before slowly looking up at me, "there _is _a way." I nodded, my ears perked at attention.

"But...you will lose something if you agree." Ida began to explain.

"What do you mean?"

"And..." Ida said slowly as she ignored my question, causing my heart to beat faster inside my chest. I could only guess what it might be.

"And?"

* * *

><p>Reader: "Nooooooo! You can't end it here!"<p>

Well...I kinda just did. :P So, tell me what you think? What's Cynyr gonna lose? Can you guess? Let me know in your reviews. :)

Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter coming up soon! Oh, and please look at my pofile. There's a link to a picture of Cynyr. :) It's worth looking at.

REVIEW! :D


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Fial Fantasy X I own only my characters and my ideas...

Yay! Another chapter! And I've decided, after looking at my stats on who visits on which days the most, that I'm gonna try to post a new chapter every Thursday and Saturday. :) So you can be looking for updates on those days.

Also, I use my profile as a little message board to everyone who reads my story, so you might want to go by and look at that every so often. Other than that, enjoy this chapter. :)

* * *

><p><strong>Memories<strong>

_In this world you tried_

_Not leaving me alone behind_

_There's no other way_

_I'll pray to the gods, let him stay_

_The memories ease _

_The pain inside_

_And now I know_

_Why…_

_All of my memories _

_Keep you near_

_It's all about us_

_Imagine you'd be here_

I sang as I flew through the air, the sprinkled night sky blanketing me as I swooped up and down through the clouds.

All the while I began to rewind my mind to the beginning when Auron and I had first met, and how I met the rest of the gang. After what Ida had explained to me afterwards, I was heartbroken.

At first I wanted to say no…I didn't want to agree. But when I thought about Auron and how his life had ended so quickly and so unfairly, I found myself giving in.

_All of my memories_

_Keep you near_

_The silent whispers_

_The silent tears…_

_Made me promise I'd try _

_To find my way back in this life_

_I hope there is a way_

_To give me a sign you're _

_Okay…_

_Reminds me again_

_It's worth it all_

_So I can go home_

_All of my memories_

_Keep you near_

_It's all about us_

_Imagine you'd be here_

_All my memories _

_Keep you near_

_The silent whispers_

_The silent tears_

As I sang the rest of the song, tears welled up in my eyes and were blown away almost immediately by the wind. My vision was blurred and my heart ached, but I knew what I was doing was right. Deep down inside I knew I could do it…because I was doing it out of love.

_Together in all these memories_

_I see your smile_

_All the memories I hold dear_

_Darling you know I love you_

_Till the end of time_

_All of my memories_

_Keep you near_

_It's all about us_

_Imagine you'd be here_

_All my memories _

_Keep you near_

_The silent whispers_

_The silent tears_

I sniffled as I drew closer my hiding place, the alcove a half a mile away. It was growing late and I wiped at my eyes as I landed beside the boulder, then began to quickly pull on my armor.

I was worried that Auron wouldn't be asleep when I got back, but I didn't even need to guess. He _wouldn't _be asleep. I knew if I didn't hurry I was going to be chewed out for being out for so long in the night.

_It doesn't matter if I do hurry, he'll chew me out anyway. _

I sighed softly to myself as I closed my wings completely against my back, then snapped my breast plate back into place.

After getting everything situated I began to head back to the alcove. As I walked, fatigue finally caught up with me and I realized just how tired I really was. I yawned several times, stumbled on unseen objects and even tripped over my own feet all the way there.

As I drew closer to the alcove I realized there was still a glow from inside and I shivered at the thought of warmth against my skin.

_I guess I'll be getting a long lecture. _I thought as I dreaded going inside, but I was cold and tired and that drove me to walk in.

Remembering that the others were still asleep, I tip toed quietly towards the fire. Auron was sitting in the same place where I had left him, but now there was a glare on his face.

I immediately avoided looking at him and even sat away from him, on the other side of the fire. For several seconds of awkward silence, we didn't speak. Then, overcome with curiousity, I made the mistake of looking up.

_Yikes! _I quickly looked away.

He had been looking at me the whole time, and when I had finally looked up he glared at me dangerously. I knew now what was coming next.

"Where were you?"

_Ah, That's it._

"Like I said," I began as I shifted uncomfortably, "out for a while." All the while I refused to meet his burning gaze. It wasn't always safe to look at him when he was angry or annoyed, especially when it was dark and the fire was casting scary shadows that made things looked more intimidating than what they were!

"That must have been _some walk._" Auron said slowly as he stressed the last two words. I immediately shot him a look, glaring back at him this time.

"You were out for at least an hour and half." Auron pointed out. "I went to look for you but couldn't find you. How do you explain that?" On the outside I was glaring at him with annoyance, my body still as I kept my gaze steady. On the inside, however, I was racking my brain for a good excuse and nervously trying to keep calm.

"Maybe I was some place where no one would be able to spy on me." I finally retorted and Auron immediately snorted at my remark, thinking it stupid. Obviously.

"That's no excuse. It's dangerous out there, Cynyr. It's dark, there are fiends, and I didn't know where you were." He said this low in his throat and I growled in mine with irritation.

_After all I've decided to do for you! _

"I. Don't. Care." I remarked defiantly; like a five year old kid.

"What?" Auron asked in a notorious voice, and for a second I actually began to regret those words.

"Good. Night." I replied instead, then lay down, my back to him and the fire, and tried to fall asleep.

_It's absolutely amazing how we can be in love one minute, then completely hate each other the next! UGH! Why is he so difficult!_

* * *

><p>Early in the morning, before the birds were up as well as the sun, I was suddenly shaken awake. At first, I ignored them and tried to continue sleeping, but they kept shaking my shoulder.<p>

I laid completely still as I tried to act as though I were still asleep, but they kept shaking me. Over and over, and over. Now, I was becoming annoyed and I growled as I found myself half awake, and rolled over so that my back was to them. This was _suppose _to hint that I _wasn't _getting up.

They didn't get the hint.

"Cynyr." A deep voice whispered close to my ear, and I immediately recognized it as Auron's. I sighed heavily.

"What?" I growled.

"Get up. There's something I want to show you." I sighed again.

"Auron...it's the butt crack of dawn!" I hissed quietly.

"Obviously. Now get up."

I sighed for the third time and figured it had to be important enough for him, of all people, to wake me up before sun rise. I slowly rolled towards him and cracked an eye open to look up at him.

I almost jumped when I found his face several inches away from mine, and sucked in a sharp breath.

_What are you trying to do! Scare the living daylights out of me! _Suddenly, he gave me an odd look and I gave him the exact _same_ look.

"What?" I asked as I raised a hand to my forehead. Suddenly, I remembered the symbols on my forehead and my heart immediately skipped a beat.

"What's on your forehead?" Auron asked as I quickly (trying to be casual about it) pulled my hair up over it and slowly rose up in a sitting position.

"What…my forehead?" I stammered as I tried to avoid looking at him. My heart was beating a mile a minute and I suddenly broke into a sweat.

_He saw! What am I going to do! What will I say? What's he going to say! _

"Cynyr?" I finally looked up, trying to calm my nervous heart while meeting his gaze.

"Are you alright?" He asked slowly and suspiciously, and I quickly nodded.

"Yes…why?" I asked 'oh, so innocently' and for a moment there was silence between us. Then, after giving me another look of confusion, he finally rose and began to walk out of the alcove.

I watched as he left and held a hand to my chest, feeling my heart continue to beat fast. I drew in a deep breath before letting it out, then I began to stretch my sore muscles, groaning softly in pain. It wasn't easy sleeping in your armor, but there was no other way without revealing my wings.

_Geez, that was a close one! I'm surprised he didn't try to press on..._

Sighing again, I looked around me at the others, who were still asleep, then got up and began to stumbled my way out of the alcove. _What exactly could be so important that requires me to be up so early! _

I stopped abruptly as I found no sight of Auron and I looked around in confusion. I lifted a hand to my forehead as I ran my fingers through my hair and began to take a step forward.

_Now, where the heck did he go?_

Before I could get any farther, something suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me backwards. I yelped in surprise as I spun around and came an inch away from Auron's face, my lips almost brushing against his silly collar. My heart leaped as I gazed into that one russet eye and he stared back with a light laugh.

Then, he slowly let go of me and began to turn away again. I smiled a small smile and shook my head as I began to follow him.

"What exactly are you trying to show me that requires to be up so early?" I asked as we began to walk up a rather steep hill.

"You mean you haven't guessed it yet?"

I furrowed my brows slightly as I stared up at his back, then he stopped and I came up beside him to find ourselves at the top of cliff. It overlooked a lot of the Calm Lands and behind the shadowed hills was the horizon that was slowly turning yellow and pink from the rise of the sun.

My expression relaxed as I realized what he meant, then I slowly smiled as I watched the sun rise and cast breath taking colors upon the sky.

For several minutes we just stood there watching the sky, and every so often I'd glance over at Auron. He silently stood, stock still, next to me as he gazed out at the sun rise as well. The bright colors of the sun caused his face to glow, and for a moment I thought he was smiling. But there was no way I could be for sure. He was always wearing that silly collar and tinted glasses.

_I wish I could see his face…just once. _

"It's really…beautiful, Auron." I said softly and from the corner of my eye I saw him turn to look at me.

"Thanks." I added with a smile and finally met his gaze. Now, he smiled, and I bit my lip as I looked from the ground to his face, but before I could speak again he did so first.

"You should try singing, now." I blinked in surprise. "It's just us." He pointed out with another smile and I immediately rolled my eyes.

"Yeah right." I muttered as I crossed my arms, looking away from him as I stared back out at the painted sky.

"Huh. Stubborn as always." He murmured, and I shot him a look before smiling a little, but then it faded and I turned back to him.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked with curiousity, and he glanced in my direction before looking back out at the sky.

"Do you really need to ask?"

I was silent a moment as I thought about this, then I heard him chuckle lightly beside me. I looked up at him expectantly and he glanced back at me before finally turning to face me completely.

"So…what's stopping you this time?" I bit my lip as I averted my eyes away from him and looked at anything but him.

"I-I don't know." I shrugged as I began to feel uncomfortable. Then, I quickly glared up at him.

"But that doesn't give the excuse for me to start singing." Auron chuckled again.

"Then, sing because I've asked you too." He said this softly, taking a step closer to me, as if we weren't close enough, and smiled down at me.

Looking up to meet his gaze I found myself at a dead end. Completely defeated and at a lose of words. It was totally pointless and immature to say no again…and in a way, I kind of did want to sing for Auron.

_But only for Auron _I thought as I slowly turned away from him, a small smile crossing my lips as I felt him continue to gaze down at me.

_What should I sing...?_

Auron waited patiently as I tried to think of a song to sing, then I took in a breath, stopped, and cleared my throat. Nervously, my lips parted ever so slightly and I began to hum. Softly and slowly. Then, they turned into words.

_Lost in the darkness…hoping for a sign._

_Instead there's only silence_

_Can't you hear my screams_

_Never stop hoping _

_Need to know where you are_

_That one thing's for sure_

_You're always in my heart_

_I'll find you somewhere…_

_I'll keep on trying_

_Until my dying day…_

_I just need to know…_

_Whatever has happened…_

_The truth will free my soul._

As I sang, I avoided looking at Auron and stared out at the sky as the colors of pink, purple, and yellow slowly faded out to just a cloudy blue. The hill's shadows' were slowly shrinking, and a wind blew the grasses of the Calm Lands against my ankles.

All the while I could feel Auron's gaze on me as I continued to sing. I felt vulnerable, exposed, and nervous...but as I got more into the song, I closed my eyes and shut the world out. It was just me and the words that danced off my tongue.

_Lost in the darkness_

_Tried to find your way home_

_I want to embrace you_

_And never let you go_

_Almost hope you're in heaven_

_So no one can hurt your soul_

_Living in agony_

_Cause I just do not know…_

_Where you are…_

_I'll find you somewhere _

_I'll keep on trying_

_Until my dying day_

_I just need to know_

_Whatever has happened_

_The truth will free my soul_

_Wherever you are_

_I won't stop searching_

_Whatever it takes me to know…_

I began to hum again for several more seconds, then fell back into the chorus, singing it once more before stopping. The song was done, and we stood in silence. I slowly opened my eyes again and nervously looked at anything else _but_ Auron.

"That was beautiful, Cynyr." Auron suddenly murmured softly, causing me to blush immediately. I bit down on my lip, hard, before glancing once in his direction.

"Mm…thanks." I said quietly and he suddenly began to chuckle. I looked over at him in slight confusion and with a little annoyance.

"What's so funny?" I asked accusingly and he looked over at me with a twinkle in his eye.

"You."

I looked away quickly and he seemed to inch a little closer to me. Our shoulders were almost brushing and I was about to inch closer myself. We slowly looked up at one another, then began to turn to face the other...until we heard Tidus's voice.

Down below, there he stood with his hands on his hips, a silly, childish grin on his face, as he looked up at us.

"Hey! Love birds! Lets go!" He called, and I spun around to glare down at him.

"You're the last one to talk!" I shouted down to him, but he just laughed and I started down the hill towards him. I only took a two steps forward when Auron suddenly grabbed my arm to stop me. Tidus was now turning away and walking back, and I growled in my throat with annoyance.

"Why'd you let him go?" I asked as I looked up at Auron, and he slowly let go of me as he looked down at me.

"Because you'd only be wasting your time and energy." Then, he walked past me and on down the hill. I stood there a second just watching him walk away with a look of confusion on my face.

_So, what does that mean? _I wondered, then, finally started down the hill after him.

As I was coming closer to the alcove, I began to slow then came to a stop as I watched everyone from a distance. Tidus was stretching noisily, Yuna was watching him as Lulu stood beside her with her arms crossed- she looked as though she were scolding Wakka as he stood with a fearful look on his face. Kimahri stood, silent as always and still, near Yuna as he kept a careful eye on Tidus.

Rikku, on the other hand, was running and jumping around like she just had jumping beans for breakfast. I stood there silently, watching her and then the rest of them as I became lost in my own thoughts.

_I'm sorry Yuna…I hope you can forgive me._

I played back what had happened back in the Calm Lands with Ida...the plan that she had told me that even caused _her _sorrow. I began to think of the others, trying to imagine what their reaction would be when they found out as well.

_Auron will be angry…I know. Everyone else… _I sighed heavily as I crossed my arms over my chest and thought about what would come in Zanarkand.

_How will I do this? _I asked no one in particular, but Ida answered me anyway.

_Continue to love him. _

"Yo! Cynyr!" Wakka called, and I looked up to see him waving at me, the others getting ready to leave. I forced a smile and began to walk down to the alcove, ready to join them as I acted as though nothing was wrong.

_When really…there is. But what I have decided…is all for the best. _

* * *

><p>As we walked through the Calm Lands, collecting gil as we fought the fiends local to the area, Rikku was either asking dumb questions or moving around like she couldn't walk in a quiet straight line.<p>

It was like she was all hyped up on drugs or something from the way she was acting.

"Rikku…what's the point in doing that?" Tidus asked as he watched her do three cartwheels in a row. Rikku made one more cartwheel before stopping and looking over at Tidus with a grin.

"It's fun and I feel like it!" She exclaimed.

"You'll get tired, ya."

"How will you fight with no energy left?" Yuna asked with a small smile.

"It's becoming a distraction." Auron said gruffly, but Rikku just laughed at us.

"Naw! This is fun! I could never run out of energy!" With that, she did another cartwheel.

_I __believe it. _

"You try!" Rikku nudged Tidus in the ribs as she came up breathlessly beside him. He crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Sorry." Rikku shrugged and turned to Wakka.

"How 'bout you?" Before Wakka could answer, I spoke up.

"Don't bother asking him. He wouldn't want to get his _pretty_ hair messed up." At this, the others began to laugh, especially Tidus as he slapped the glowering Wakka on the back.

"You're gonna get it, Cynyr." Wakka growled. I began to laugh.

"Do something!"

Wakka turned his head in my direction, slowly, and raised a brow as if asking me "are you sure you wanna challenge me?" Tidus began to laugh now.

"We don't have time for this foolishness." Auron quickly intervened.

"Oh, come on! Don't be such a party pooper!" Rikku exclaimed.

I smiled as I found the thought of "sucking up", entertaining.

"Auron's right. We need to stay focused." Tidus snorted as he turned to walk backwards while facing Wakka and me.

"Whatever! I can take any fiend out here, distracted or not! No problem!"

"What, like that?" I joked as I pointed behind him, but Tidus wasn't dumb enough to fall for that one.

"Sorry Cynyr, I'm not going to fall for that one!" He exclaimed proudly with a smirk.

"Dude, it's Rin's Travel Agency, ya!" Wakka suddenly exclaimed, and we all looked up and Tidus spun around immediately.

"Really? Where?" Tidus asked in excitment, but he was greeted by more hills and we all started to laugh at him as he suddenly realized he had fallen for Wakka's trick.

"I thought you weren't dumb enough-"

"Shut up, Wakka!"

We all began to laughed again, but it was quickly stopped as several fiends up ahead began running towards us.

"Holy crap!" Rikku exclaimed, and we all quickly began to withdraw our weapons, getting into our battle stances as the fiends drew nearer. They snarled, growled, and spat.

"Wow, I never even saw those coming, ya!"

"That's why you should have been paying attention instead of fooling around." Auron remarked as he ran forward to lay a hit on the first fiend. It was killed immediately.

"We were just having fun…for once." Rikku pointed out.

"Fine." Auron growled. "Die here if you want." Wakka ran up and hit the next fiend, wounding it immediately.

"Ugh! Aruon, you don't have to be so mean." Rikku complained before attacking the fiend in front of her.

"I'd have to agree with that." I commented, then ran up next and killed off the second to last fiend.

"You agree to everything!" Tidus exclaimed as he ran up next.

"Is this arguing necessary!" Lulu suddenly blurted as she threw Fira upon the last fiend. This ended its life and Pyerflies filled the air again.

"Yeah, and you're always gullible more than half the time, Tidus." I retorted as I put my sword away. Tidus spun around to face me and gave me a look of both confusion and frustration.

"H-hey!" He exclaimed.

"Okaaaay! This conversation is over, ya." Wakka said quickly as he walked past us both. Tidus rolled his eyes and I smirked before we also began to turn and walk with the others.

Several hours and battles later we finally came across Rin's Travel Agency. The _real _Travel Agency. As soon as I saw it a pang of sorrow grabbed hold of my heart, the image of Rin coming into my mind as well as Shadow.

I clenched my fists just at the thought of Shadow, but I showed no anger as we quickly walked to the Inn where we would rest and stock up on our food and water.

_I'm gonna kill you, Shadow! _

When we approached the colorful structure we found it to be smaller than we had thought it would be, but there was a corral of Chocobo's in the back with a woman attending to them quietly.

We went inside and gathered what we would need and then headed back outside. I made sure to get myself a shawl, knowing soon we'd be in the mountains where it was snowing, and put it in my pack. As the lot of us stood or sat around quietly, Tidus suddenly bounded away somewhere behind the Inn.

Minutes later a man in priest's clothing approached us from afar, and when I noticed tha collar around his neck I almost wanted to laugh out loud.

_You've got to be kidding me! Is this some sort of fashion!_

"Father Zuke." Lulu exclaimed as she stepped up, immediately recognizing the man. He stopped a good distance away before speaking.

"Long time no see." I looked from Father Zuke to Lulu questioningly.

"You are Yuna?" He asked then, and Yuna nodded.

"Hmm, you certainly don't look like Maester Kinoc's murder."

"What?" I said quietly to myself in shock. Yuna was in as much shock as well. Sorrowful too.

"Please, tell us what has happened." Yuna asked immediately.

"Master Mika just issued a personal order, you know." Father Zuke began. "It said you and your guardians murdered Maester Kinoc and fled! We are to kill you on sight- or so it says." He added quickly and Yuna looked down. Crestfallen. I crossed my arms over my chest as I stared at Father Zuke expectantly, just waiting for him to say he was about to kill us now.

"What of Bevelle?" Auron asked suddenly, and Father Zuke turned to him.

"Things are calm on the surface, but the depths are turbulent. After the death of Maester Kinoc, Kelk Ronso left Yevon." He explained.

"Convenient." Auron began. "Getting around will be a lot easier with Yevon in disarray."

"But be careful my friends," Father Zuke continued, "you have been branded enemies of Yevon."

_As if we needed a reminder. _

"You should avoid temples for the time being." He added as he turned back to Yuna, who bowed respectfully to him.

"Thank you Father Zuke…for your warning."

"Father," Lulu began quickly, "you came all this way just to tell us this?" Zuke seemed to shrug as he replied.

"To tell the truth, I was a little curious to see this summoner you're guarding. I hope her Pilgrimage goes well…for your sake too." He added.

"Thank you, Father" Lulu nodded, then began to bow, followed by Zuke.

"I must be off."

Then he turned and began to walk quickly away from us and out into the Calm Lands. I watched him leave as I still stood there with my arms crossed, thinking about what he had said.

_It's a good thing those two knew each other...otherwise, we'd have had to kill him to. Ugh...I'm so sick of this...I don't want to kill anybody anymore. _

"Hey guys!" Tidus suddenly shouted from behind us. "Look what I found!" The others were turning to him and there were a few gasps of surprise. Intrigued by what Tidus had, I turned to see what all the awe was about.

My eyes grew wide and my jaw almost hit the floor.

Tidus held up, proudly, in his hand three, long, elegant white feathers. Unmistakably mine. Fortunately, they didn't know this, but it was sight of them, and knowing that that they _were _mine that caused me to become uncomfortable and nervous.

_Damn! I forgot all about shedding. They've probably littered the whole Calm Lands! _

"Where did you find those?" Auron asked almost immediately, and the palms of my hands began to sweat.

I watched as Auron took a step closer and so did the others, all of them exaiming the feathers closely. Now, Tidus began to pass them around.

_This is bad. With my feathers leaving a trail...sooner or later I'll be found out!_

"I found them on the ground back there." He gestured behind him at the back of the Inn near the corral. Remembering the symbols on my forehead, I slowly raised a hand to the side of my face to pull more of my hair around my cheek.

"Wow…these are cool, ya." Wakka breathed, causing me to smile, but I quickly hid it.

"They don't belong to the Chocobo's…" Yuna added thoughtfully as she held one up to look at.

"They're rather large…and Chocobo's don't even have _down_ feathers as white and pure as this." Lulu commented. I bit my lip nervously as I slowly lowered my arms to my sides.

"A fiend maybe?" I questioned, trying to blend in with the confusion.

_Just play it cool. Don't cause suspicion. _

"No." Auron immediately replied, and we all looked at him. "No fiend would have such feathers. Something else grew those." Auron finished and I bit my lip nervously as I thought about what he had just said…the way he had said it.

_He sounds like he means that I'm dangerous...even if he doesn't know... _

"Who or what could have such beautiful feathers?" Lulu asked as she examined the feather next.

"From what I can tell…whatever it is, is following us." Auron replied.

"Wait," Tidus exclaimed as he looked over at Auron, "how do you know so much?"

"I found one near the lake a couple days ago. It was the same kind of feather." Then, he reached into his jacket and suddenly withdrew another one of my feathers.

_The one from the lake! He still has it! _

"Wow, yeah it's the same one!" Rikku exclaimed. Now, I was becoming even more uncomfortable. All this talk about my feathers and none of them knew…I was worried they'd suddenly accuse me and all my secrets would be revealed.

_No. Be rational. There's no way any of this could point to me. Not yet. _

"So, you think…this creature is following us?" Tidus asked Auron.

_Keep your secrets for as long as you can, Cynyr. It's to early. _Ida said sternly, and I mentally nodded as Auron began to reply to Tidus.

"It's possible. It first showed up in Macalania, now there are more...and they're all here."

"What could it be?" Lulu murmured aloud.

"Could it be an Aeon, Yuna?" Rikku asked and I looked at Yuna hopefully as she thought a moment.

"I…I don't know. I haven't had one with white feathers."

"It's a good observation, though, ya."

"But the only ones who have Aeon's are summoners and Maesters. So…does that mean there is another summoner out here?" Lulu thought aloud and we all considered this a moment.

"Nonetheless, we should keep moving." Auron replied as he turned away from us.

"With the Yevonites wanting out heads on a platter and this _thing _following us, we can't waste time." As the others agreed and began to follow Auron out, I felt my blood boil, and my heart beat quicken at the word "thing."

The way he said it…it was the same way Shadow had spoken to me before. I was always referred to as a bird, a disgusting creature, a thing, an "it"…I got enough of it from him, I didn't need it from anyone else. Especially my friends.

_But they don't know…so it doesn't mean anything. _I reasoned as I began to follow the others back out into the Calm Lands. Still, as I walked slowly behind the others...my heart had cracked and the tears stung at my eyes.

* * *

><p>:*( Poor Cynyr. She's hurt and feels lonely.<p>

I enjoyed writing this chapter. :) It was more calm than most of my chapters, which are usually filled with suspence and adventure. But hey, it's the Calm Lands, so why not let it live up to its name? :)

Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it. Please review, I'd like to hear what you think. Even if you don't have much to say, at least put a smiley face. :) - Yeah, like that.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy X, Square does. I own only my characters and my ideas.

As I promised, another chapter on a Thrilling Thursday! :D Hope yall like it! And please review...even if you don't want to, it would just be really nice if you could. :)

By the way, I forgot to mention this, but last chapter, the song she sings in the beginning is Memories by Within Temptation.

**In this chapter: **Auron and Cynyr and suspense/mystery

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Trails<strong>

I flew quickly and quietly through the chilly air, several feet above the ground as I searched for all the white feathers I could find. The sun was setting fast and I was just lucky enough to get out and fly to search, but I needed to hurry.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid me! I should have remembered the feathers! _

I swooped down as I saw two long white feathers lying on the ground and immediately scooped them up as I rose back up.

"What am I going to do with these?" I murmured as I placed them inside my pack. It hung around my waist along with my sword, which tapped me gently against the leg as I flew.

"I could bury them…"

I beat my wings harder and faster as I drew farther and farther away, with the sun at my back and Gagazet before me.

"I just want to have a look around…" I thought aloud as I stared out at the giant mountain. With that, I rose higher in the air and faster as I approached the jagged and mystical mount Gagazet, its snowy caps glistening in the last rays of the sun.

The closer I got the colder it became and I shivered as I pulled out my shawl. I quickly wrapped it around my shoulders, and made sure it went under my wings so it wouldn't get in the way of my flight.

I hugged my arms close to my body as I squinted upwards, my cheeks, nose, and chin cold and probably rosy red. I raised the shawl up to my face to cover everything but my eyes, then began to soar higher up, right over the entrance of the mountain.

Looking down, I saw several Ronso walking about and speaking to one another. There were a lot of them standing around the entrance, and they were all holding their weapons. It was almost like they were trying to guard it the place.

I caught my breath when two of them suddenly looked up at the sky and immediately spotted me. Realizing my shadow was casting upon them, I quickly flew over a peak to get out of sight.

Heart pounding in my chest, I leaned against the rock in worry. I worried they might tell the others, then, before long, rumors would begin…then when Yuna and the rest of us got to the mountain together-

"They'll recognize me." I whispered into the freezing wind. "They'll point me out and tell of what they had seen…and I'll be done for!" I exclaimed to myself, and landed gently upon a snow covered cliff, closing my wings as I did so.

All around me were thousands upon thousands of mountain peaks, snow, rock, and a few Ronso here and there. I quickly crouched down as some neared the cliff I sat on, the snow beneath me touching my legs and sending shivers through my body.

_It's way to cold up here! _

_You're in a lot of danger of being caught again, Cynyr. Turn back now. _Ida advised suddenly, but I ignored her. It had to be a first, because I knew she knew more than I…but I was curious and I wanted to see more of the mountain.

"I want to see the roads…where they led to Zanarkand." I murmured softly to myself instead of thinking it. I knew Ida would have heard me, and even though she knew what I was up to I would rather not argue with her.

So, I rose, scouting the places below, then jumped and opened my wings to the cold air that rushed past them and at my face.

I hugged the shawl tighter to my body as I rose higher and higher, up towards the snow filled clouds to look back where the Calm Lands ended. As the clouds parted some I squinted down and could just make out the many Ronso that were gathered near the entrance.

Now knowing where I was I began to follow the many trails that led up the mountain, starting near the front of Gagazet

_I hope they weren't discussing who I was._

_You need to turn back now. You'll regret it if you don't. _Ida persisted sternly, and I bit my lip as I continued to fly over the many snowy peaks that jutted up out of the mountain, roads winding around them.

All the while, I ignored Ida's warning and followed the many trails. Sometimes I would find myself at a dead end and would have to turn back towards a different path. All the while I had to hide as several of the Ronso would come into sight.

I finally found another cliff and crouched down on it as I looked around curiously. Down below I could see many caves and around the area were many Ronso that walked about in the snow with weapons or without. Some walked inside the caves while others emerged from them. I took this as their homes and watched a little while longer.

_I'm giving you one last chance, Cynyr. Go now! _

I sighed as I finally stood up and backed away from the egde of the cliff, out of sight, and then looked around elsewhere. I was searching for more trails and _still _trying to ignore Ida.

_GO! NOW! _

Sighing, I quickly jumped off the cliff and flew back towards the Calm Lands.

_Okay, okay. I'm going. _I thought with slight frustration, scanning the grounds to make sure there were no other Ronso's. As I rounded a bend, close to the entrance I had to stop abruptly and hide beneath an overhang as I found several Ronso just ahead of me.

They all had their weapon's at hand, as if searching for a fiend or danger. With scowls on their faces they searched as they murmured to themselves. I knew they were looking for me.

They had to be at least fifteen feet below me, and surprisingly I could catch a few words from them.

_I can hear them so clearly… _I thought in awe.

_Because you're no ordinary human. Now, quickly…head for the clouds! _Glancing up at the sky and then back down, I did as I was told and dashed upwards with my wings spread wide.

_Phew, that was close. _I thought as I zoomed up into the grey sky, causing the clouds to swirl around me and break apart.

"Crap!" I hissed as I soon found myself wet. I shivered as I spiraled down towards the Calm Lands, the clouds dispersing and the grasses coming into view.

Although it wasn't as cold as it had been in the mountains, it was still chilly and I was cold and wet. The sun was half way past the horizon and I didn't have much time left. _How will I explain this! _I thought as I frantically searched the ground for any more feathers I might have dropped.

I found three more and decided to land. Stepping lightly upon the ground, I shivered again before crouching down. I grabbed the earth beneath me and began to flap my wings short and fast motions, causing the water to fly off.

Droplets rained around me as I did this, then, when I thought they were dry enough, I stopped and began to close them against my back. They were slightly cold against my skin and goose bumps rose on my neck, back, and arms.

Shaking my hands of more water I looked down at myself and sighed heavily.

"This sucks!" I exclaimed, and I began to walk towards the place I had placed my armor after picking up the feathers.

It was inside a little hollow in the earth, a place that looked like it had been dug out and then left for grass to grow inside. It was odd looking, but it was the best place to hide my things.

"It's almost dark…how can I go back now?" I sighed again as I decided to crouch down inside the little hollow with my armor.

_This wouldn't have happened if you had listened to me the first time. _

I glowered down at my feet in defeat and sighed again.

_I know, I know…I was careless, but I was curious. _

"And look where it got me…" I muttered under my breath, shivering once again.

_No one else is out here but me. _I mused as I looked around. The campsite where everyone else was staying was a lot farther away from where I sat, so I didn't have to worry about anyone seeing me.

_Maybe I should try taking these wet clothes off and hope they'll dry off quick enough for me to return. _I decided, biting my lip in thought, then I finally stood and began to take off my shirt and shorts.

I laid them on the grass in front of the hollow with the shawl next to it, the last rays of light slowly drifting away and caused me to shiver again.

_Man, I'm screwed. _

I crouched back down in the hollow and hugged my arms and legs close to me for warmth, then, I opened my wings and drew them around me, close.

_What if they come searching for me? _

I looked up in the direction of the campsite, then looked away with worry written on my face.

_What if fiends try to take advantage of me out here?_ At this, I quickly looked around me, almost expecting one to pop out of nowhere._ What if the gang haven't built a fire yet and I get lost? What if- _I sighed.

"Screw this!" I exclaimed as I stood up. "Nothing's gonna happen, and if it does then I'll work something out." I crossed my arms as I said this. "In the meantime…I'm staying right here to wait for my clothes to dry." I nodded once then slowly sat back down and scowled at my clothing. I hoped they wouldn't take to long to dry, and I hoped I'd get back to the camp in time.

_Maybe I'll get lucky and know one will ask me where I've been. But…then there's Auron I have to worry about. _

"I've got to stop coming out here so much…otherwise, I'll raise suspicion." I suddenly snorted at my own statement.

"As if they haven't become suspicious already…" Then, I fell silent for a long time...

Thirty minutes passed and the sun was long gone, leaving only a blackened sky and a waning moon. I was huddled up in a ball with my wings hugging me close to keep me warm and I had almost fallen asleep multiple time.

Sighing, I finally looked up and raised my wings a little to look out at my clothes.

_Okay…maybe I can put them on now and I can return. I've always got my armor on so, it's not like anyone will notice._ With this, I stood up and walked over to my clothes then picked them up.

They were slightly damp, but it would have to do. So, I pulled them on, wrapped up my shawl and placed it in my pack, and finally began to snap my armor back into place.

With goose bumps all along my body, I began walking as quickly as possible back to camp.

I arrived in fifteen minutes and found most everyone conked out near the small fire that was built in the middle. All who were still awake was Kimahri, Auron (of course), and Wakka. (Surprisingly).

Only giving them all a glance, I walked towards the warmth of the fire.

_Ah, yes, HEAT!_

"Yo, where were you?" Wakka asked almost immediately as I walked towards the fire. I shrugged as I sat down, avoiding his eyes and tried not to shiver.

"Just out walking around…checking for any fiends. You know, Guardian stuff." Wakka nodded with a shrug of agreement and asked no further questions.

_So far so good. _

"Well, most everyone's asleep, ya." He said in a quiet voice, looking around him at the others, his eyes momentarily resting on Lulu. I looked up at him and smiled a small smile, knowing what he was thinking about.

"I guess…" Wakka began with a shrug, "I'll go to sleep to, but you guys better get some rest to, ya" Wakka quickly added as he got up to move a little closer to Lulu.

"Yeah…" I murmured as I turned back to the fire.

"Oh, hey." Wakka suddenly began and I turned back to him with a questioning look.

"Don't forget Tidus has your next watch, remember the bet, ya?" He grinned and I slowly smiled as I remembered immediately.

"Hey…yeah, that's right!" I giggled to myself. "He can have my next watch when we're on the mountain." I grinned evilly and Wakka began to laugh.

"He won't be too happy about that."

"He's probably forgotten all about it, so when I bring it up…" I trailed off as I smiled with satisfaction and imagined Tidus's reaction. Wakka chuckled then lay down to sleep. Meanwhile, it was just Auron, Kimahri, and I.

Just like last time.

everal seconds of silence passed and Auron abruptly stood up and began to walk away from the camp. I watched him for a while, getting farther and farther away, then looked over at Kimahri. He only looked back at me and seemed to smile. Looking back out at Auron I finally decided to follow him.

I quickly caught up with him and was walking several feet behind him and I was about to speak, but he beat me to it.

"Why are you following me?"

He slowed to a stop and I stopped abruptly behind him, a little flustered and looked around nervously. He still had his back to me but I shrugged as I looked back up at him and replied with my own question.

"Why are you walking all the way out here?"

He turned to me now, and I crossed my arms over my chest, barely able to see his face that was covered by not only his silly collar and his glasses, but the shadows of the night.

"Is it any of your business?"

"Is it any of _your _business when I go out some times, then?"

I smirked as he stood in silence for a moment, then he harrumphed and turned back around to continue walking.

I smiled and quickly caught up with him, his long strides hard to keep up with, but I managed.

As I walked beside him, both of us silent, I glanced up at his face, hoping to see maybe even some of it. Unfortunately, this was impossible.

_Well, that kind of sucks...I sort of want to see his face..._

Then, I smiled a slow smile and looked up at him again, having to stop a giggle from escaping as an idea formed in my head.

So, quick as lightening I shot my hand up and grabbed his glasses off his nose, then I jumped away as he abruptly stopped and glared over at me.

"Why do you wear these every minute of the day? And at night!" I asked as I jumped out of his reach when he went to grab me. The whole time, I just examined the glasses while I spoke.

"You know you look better without them on?" Auron growled with annoyance as he took a step towards me, but I took a step back.

"Cynyr, give them back." He demanded "Quiet frankly, I don't care what I look like." He reached out again to take them from me, but I skipped backwards from him and looked up at him with a raised brow and a smirk.

"Then you shouldn't mind the fact that I've just taken your glasses-and now I can see more of your face." I teased with a smile, but Auron just rolled his eye.

"That's not the point, Cynyr." He growled with irritation. "I just find your actions immature and annoying." I smiled with amusement.

"Loosen up Auron, it's not like I'm gonna break them." I assured him, taking another step back as he took another towards me. Auron scowled and glared at me again, a face expression I immediately found amusing.

"You're funny, Auron." I laughed lightly.

"Hmph. I find nothing funny."

"It's probably because you can't see all the expressions you make." I replied with a smile, but Auron just stared at me like I was crazy.

"Can I have them back now?" Auron asked with a frown, his hand stretched out towards me, palm up. I began walking slowly up to him, but passed him and stopped just to the left of him while twirling his glasses between my thumb and forefinger.

"Mmm…depends."

"On what?" He asked as he turned his head towards me.

"If you'll leave them off tonight."

"No."

"Fine."

I shrugged as I began to walk away from him, back towards camp, but I was suddenly, and unexpectedly, grabbed around the waist and pulled towards him.

I gasped in surprise as my back was pressed against his chest and both of his arms wrapped themselves around me, his left hand quickly grabbing hold of my right forearm, the hand that held his glasses.

I smiled as I laughed lightly at him, then I felt his head come next to mine, his rougher cheek brushing against my softer one. My heart began to pound like a drum inside my chest and chills ran through my body as he whispered in my ear.

"Give them back."

I slowly closed my eyes as I took in his scent, a small smile crossing my lips as I leaned back a little into him.

I felt his hand slip up my arm towards my hand where I still held his glasses.

"Why should I?" I asked in just a soft of voice as he had. He suddenly chuckled low in his throat and his chest rumbled against my back. Taking in a breath, I felt the Pyerflies immediately flutter inside my stomach.

"I'll leave them off…" He replied in a softer voice, his hand moving up to my wrist now. I turned my head ever so slightly to the left and was surprised to feel his lips press gently and softly against my cheek. My entire body suddenly felt light as a feather.

Then, in seconds, he had taken the glasses from me and I stood there in slight shock as he slid his arms away from my waist. My heart quickened as I spun around to face him, some of my hair flying over to lay on my right shoulder. I made sure to take some of it to cover my forehead.

With the glasses in his hand and a smirk on his face, Auron looked at me with amusement as he spoke again.

"Well…that was easy." I blushed immensely and quickly looked away as I folded my arms over my chest.

_Cheater! _

Suddenly, I heard his footsteps and the rustle of his clothing as he approached me, and when he was a mere foot before me, he stopped. I slowly looked up at him, surprised to find his face five inches away from mine. All I could look at was it soft brown eye, and all I could think about was him.

_He's even more beautiful up close…_

He smiled a small smile and reached out towards me. My heart thundered inside my chest, faster, as I continued to gaze up at him. Then, he stopped, and I caught my breath in my throat as I saw his expression change suddenly.

_What?_

My brows furrowed slightly in confusion and I was about to ask what was wrong when his eye shifted more to the right. Suddenly, he grabbed my arm and quickly pulled me away.

"Get down!" He exclaimed as he threw me towards the ground, going down with me as I heard a loud growl and snarl from behind us. I gasped as I hit the ground with Auron leaning over me protectively.

"Stay down." He commanded before quickly rising, then he withdrew his sword and began to charge at the fiend that fought back at him. I quickly rose from the ground as I watched Auron fight back the beast, but it was to dark for me to tell what kind it was or what it really looked like.

Auron's sword suddenly sunk into its flesh, but the fiend cried out in pain and pushed forward. Instantly, Auron was flung backwards and his sword flipped through the air towards me. I gasped as I ducked and felt the wind of it as it passed over me. Then, I heard it sink into the ground behind me.

Quickly looking back up I realized the fiend was advancing upon Auron, and he was standing, but he was weaponless.

"Auron!" I exclaimed in horror, then quickly unsheathed my sword and ran at the fiend at full speed, shouting to get its attention.

"Get away from him!"

I immediately drove my blade inside, causing it screech in pain. I heard Auron call my name but I ignored him. The fiend spun around and went to hit me but I ducked as I withdrew my sword quickly from the beast.

Then, with all my strength, I gripped my sword with both hands and drove it into its chest. It cried out in one last agonizing cry of pain before finally dying and dispersing into a cloud of Pyerflies. I watched them rise as I put my sword away and I heard Auron come up behind me.

_Wow. I can't believe I did that. That was almost…too easy. _I thought as I breathed heavily, and I felt Auron's hand on my shoulder.

_You are becoming stronger, my child. _Ida whispered, and I slowly turned to face Auron. Unable to stop myself, I collapsed into his arms and squeezed my eyes tightly shut.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, my voice muffled against his shoulder and I felt his hand come up to my head.

"I'm fine, Cynyr…" He said slowly then began to pull me away from him. I looked up to meet his gaze and I saw sadness there.

_What's wrong! _

"But…the dead cannot die again." He began in a low and soft voice. "You shouldn't have protected me." He said this in a softer voice and I bit my lip as I realized I had forgotten about this. I immediately looked down at my feet.

"I will protect you…but do not waste your energy trying to protect me."

I bit harder into my lip as I tried not to speak and for several seconds there was silence.

"Do you understand?" Auron asked and I reluctantly nodded.

"Yes…"

I meant to say more but I decided against it. There was so much I wanted to tell...so much that I couldn't tell.

_This is so hard! _

_Be patient. _

Suddenly, I felt his hand come up under my chin, and he forced me to look up at him.

"You're life is more important than mine…because I am no longer of this world." I nodded slowly and he finally let go of me and turned to walk back towards camp. For a long time, I didn't follow. I stood there just watching him walk away as it was just Ida and my thoughts.

_He doesn't understand._

_Not Yet._

* * *

><p>It was morning, and the sun was glaring down at me like it was sitting right in front of my face. Sighing, I slowly opened my eyes and blinked several times as my eyes adjusted to the light.<p>

I noticed I was unusually warm, and it wasn't the sun...but something else. Something light, soft, and warm was lying across my back, and I slowly began to rise from the flattened grass ground where I had slept during the night.

I turned to sit and look at the others when, whatever was covering me moved as well with me. I spun my head around and gasped at the sight of my wings lying softly next to me on either side, my breast plate several feet away from me.

_What happened!_

Fortunately, everyone else was still asleep, but when I looked over at them I almost cried out aloud as my heart seemed to stop inside my chest. All along the ground within our camp, on top of the dead fire and the sleeping bodies of my friends…were beautiful, long, white feathers.

"No." I whispered in horror, my eyes wide as my heart began to beat again, but quickly it went from inside my chest. In one giant circle, my feathers kissed the ground as well as my friends who lie peacefully sleeping. For now.

"They'll surely find out now!" I exclaimed loudly and all at once, everyone began to stir and I watched as I sat frozen in fear and helplessness.

Then…I woke up.

* * *

><p>My eyes snapped open to meet a cloudy sky above me, not bright and blue like it should be, or like the one in my dream. I lay on my back with my nails in the dirt and my hair in a disarray, splayed out all round me. I was still breathing heavily as I lay there just running through what I had just dreamed.<p>

_It was so real…_ I thought with awe, then suddenly, it clicked. _That was a vision! _I swallowed hard and waited for Ida to reply to me or explain, but she remained silent.

_If that was a vision…then that was a warning. This one was much more different then the others I had gotten. _I thought worriedly.

_From what I can tell… _I bit my lip nervously as I lay there on the ground. _One day on this Pilgrimage…my wings will be exposed, and it'll happen unexpectedly! That means I need to be extra careful! No more flying out at night or anything. I can't risk being seen._

I blinked several times, then slowly turned my head to the right to look over at the others. They were all still asleep. Even Kimahri and Auron. For some reason that was something I was very glad about. Probably because I had expected them to be covered in my feathers like my dream.

But, my armor was on and my wings hidden. There were no feathers and there was no bright light that cold point out the obvious to me. Then, my brows furrowed slightly as things began to process slowly in my brain.

_Wait, what time is it? Why is it so cloudy? Is it going to rain? _

Finally, I began to rise from where I sat and shivered a little from the chill of the air. Standing up, I walked around the camp and looked about at the others.

_Looks like we all slept in. _

They were all sleeping so peacefully that I didn't want to wake them, but it was getting later in the day and we needed to get moving.

"Uh, guys, I think we overslept." I began, but no one moved. No one even twitched.

_Dang. Did everyone have a rough night or something? _

I walked over to Tidus and kicked him in the ribs gently, but he didn't move at first. So, I tried again, only more aggressively. Finally, after several seconds of kicking him, he began to stir then slowly move.

I kept at it then moved onto Rikku as Tidus yawned in his "sleep" and began to slowly awake.

"Rikku." I started as I knelt down and shook her shoulder. She groaned in her sleep but didn't move. I shook her again and heard Tidus jump up excitedly.

"Whoa! What time is it?" He exclaimed, causing the others to stir from the sound of his voice. and I turned to look up at him.

"Guys! Get up!" Tidus quickly exclaimed and immediately ran over to Wakka and rolled him over on his back. Wakka just lay there snoring loudly, so Tidus began hitting his chest and shouting.

"Wakka! Get up you big lug!" I glared over at Tidus for being so loud then heard the others slowly wake and sit up.

"What's going on?" Yuna asked through a yawn.

"Is it morning?" Lulu asked in confusion. Now, Rikku was finally up and both Kimahri and Auorn began to rise from the ground as well.

"Have we really slept all this time?" Rikku asked groggily and I slowly stood back up.

"It's almost afternoon." Auron suddenly stated as he stood up and straightened out his jacket. The others also began to stand and I could tell that everyone was quite unhappy about the time of the day.

Especially Auron.

"How can you tell?" Tidus asked as he looked up at the sky. "It's cloudy!"

"I know that." Auron growled.

"Is it going to rain?" Rikku asked as she, to, looked up at the sky.

"Lets just get moving." Lulu sighed as she began to walk past us. Yuna followed her and I looked over at Wakka. He was now sitting up and looking around in confusion. He looked groggy, annoyed, and angry all at the same time.

_Wow, he actually looks scary this morning! _

"Come on Wakka!" Tidus exclaimed as he began to follow Lulu and Yuna as well, Kimahri bringing up the rear.

"I hear you." Wakka growled with annoyance, and he began to stand up as he took in a deep breath and ran his hand over his face.

I began walking away as well, quickly catching up with the others, and soon we were a group again, although sort of spread out. We quickly walked in the direction of Mount Gagazet.

**One Hour Later...**

"I'm still tired." Rikku suddenly exclaimed as we walked in silence.

"Who isn't, Rikku!" Tidus remarked.

"Hey, you don't have to be so mean!"

"Listen, we woke up late, it's going to rain, we have to get to the mountain by evening, everyone's in a bad mood, so don't make it any worse."

Everyone was deathly quiet after that little speech, and most of us glanced around at one another or at the ground uncomfortably as we found this to be true.

_I can already tell that this is going to be a long day._


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X, Square does! I own only my characters and my amazing ideas... ;)**

**PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING!**

SORRRRYYYY! About not posting on Saturday like I promised...sigh. BUT! I did warn you that it may not work out like I had planned. And it didn't.

So I'm sticking with **Thursday's** and **Tuesday's** from now on, because Saturday...I almost always have things to do on those days.

See, I thought it would be enough time to post up another chapter, but apparently not. If you've read my profile, like I asked all my readers to do from now on, (because I'm gonna use that to update you guys on things) then you've already read my apology and explanation etc , etc.

Anyway! Hope you like this chapter, I worked hard on it so I'm sure you'll enjoy it. If you have any comments, please review. That's what the review button is for. Too lazy? Don't care. :) If you can take the time to read at least take the time to review...that is all I ask. :)

But those of you who _do _review, thank you **sooooooooo** much! You. Are. Awesome! You're reviews always make my day no matter what! XD

* * *

><p><strong>When Secrets Become Harder to Keep Part I<strong>

The weather wasn't the only thing that had changed that day. It was everyone's moods as well. No one wanted to talk to the other, no matter who it was.

It was so quiet.

Except for the occasional battles with the fiends, but then it went right back to being silent between us all. I was kind of content with the quiet for the most part. It was a chance to just be with my thoughts and no one else. Even if that was quite impossible to be talking to anyone now, because everyone had a dark cloud hanging over their heads.

_If it is going to rain, I hope it won't be while we're in the mountains. That'll mean snow…it'll be colder…and everyone will be in a more fowl mood than they already are._ I thought as I looked ahead, my eyes momentarily falling on Auron. He walked with long strides at the front, his back straight and his steps unfaltering.

_This appears normal..._

I heard Tidus say something to Rikku, but I wasn't listening. _Auron's a lot quieter than usual. I mean, yes, he's always quiet, but there's just something about his mood today that isn't right. _

Then, I recalled last night in the Calm Lands, when the fiend had attacked Auron and he went out of his way to protect me.

_I wonder if he's angry at me for trying to protect him. _I mentally shook my head.

_No, that's too insignificant. I know everyone else is also in a bad mood, but he seems to have a different reason than the others. _

I heard Tidus say Rikku's name again and then her high pitched whinny voice, but I ignored them.

_Perhaps I should go talk to him? But then I don't want to put him in a worse mood. _I bit my bottom lip in thought.

"Rikku! For the last time!" Tidus suddenly shouted, and this time I turned to see what was going on.

"Stop. Walking. So close to me!"

"I'm only trying to keep up with you guys" Rikku exclaimed in a high pitched voice.

"You're stepping on my heels." Tidus pointed out with a glare, then began to walk a little faster.

"Rikku, Tidus." Lulu said sternly, and I looked over to see her expression clouded and annoyed.

"Stop arguing and start listening! Fiends may attack at any time, and if you two aren't paying attention then you'll be eaten first."

"Pfft! We won't be eaten, Lulu." Rikku smirked with a wave of her hand.

"Would you rather be fried?" Lulu said in a low and dangerous voice, flicking her wrist to suddenly produce a flame of blue fire in her hand. I raised a brow in surprise.

_Whoa, she's mad! _

"Lu, calm down…Rikku's just being herself…" Wakka sighed and Lulu immediately turned on him and he jumped a little.

"Don't tell _me _to calm down." She hissed, then began to walk faster ahead of him so he was left behind with a terrified look on his face.

I heard Yuna sigh and I looked over to find a look of distress on her face.

_Poor Yuna. _I sighed softly to myself, not feeling so great either.

Several hours later, Rikku had succeeded in irritating everyone and now she walked alone at the rear while the others huddled closer around Yuna.

I stood several feet away from them, only because Lulu was still scaring me. She was glaring at Wakka. While he had been trying to stay away from Rikku, he had been stepping on Lulu's skirts multiple times.

It was enough to exasperate her, indeed! So, now, she stood with her hand ready at her side to produce a flame so she could throw it straight at his head if need be.

I still remembered the words she said to him that caused him to keep a VERY good distance between them.

_"And I hope I singe all the hair off your head!"_

I rubbed my arms as a chill ran through my back and a cold breeze blew past. The mountain was growing closer in from where it loomed up on the horizon where the sun would always rise.

_Ugh…it's getting colder and were not to far from the mountain now. _I observed, then bit my lip nervously as I remembered the Ronso and how I had been seen in the air, flying.

_I hope they don't recognize me when we get to the entrance to the mountain. _

Looking back up I suddenly remembered Auron, who walked stiffly and grouchily, and I smiled a small smile. I decided to try talking to him. Even if it _was _risky.

_Just be ready to get your head chopped off if you hit the wrong button. _I warned myself, then strode forward, past the others to walk beside him. I slowly looked up at his gloomy face as he continued to stare off into the distance, a look of determination there as he walked in silence.

Yeah, I knew better. Just by the look on his face, I knew I should have just backed off, but of course, I didn't.

"Hey, you okay?" I began slowly and cautiously, getting ready to jump back if need be. He barely gave me a glance.

"I'm fine." He remarked. "You should be guarding Yuna."

I raised a brow from the sound of his voice then looked over my shoulder at the others. They were all still huddled close enough around Yuna while Rikku stayed a good distance away.

"I'm pretty sure the others have got that covered." I pointed out as I turned back to look up at Auron. He just harrumphed-an annoyed harrumph, but I pressed on.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked softly and he sighed.

"Cynyr…I'm fine. Now leave me." I raised my brows in surprise, but decided to take a step back and _let him be. _

I watched as he continued on, far from the rest of us as I thought worriedly about him. I didn't start walking again until after the others started to pass me. As I followed them, Rikku, who was several feet away from us began to whine again.

"Guys, it's really cold out here, couldn't I huddle with you too?"

"No." Tidus replied almost immediately with crossed arms.

"If she says one more word, I'll fry her." Lulu growled under her breath.

"Yeah, that's right." Wakka agreed with a mean look on his face. Lulu's eyes flicked in his direction and she suddenly flicked her wrist and produced a white flame.

"Don't forget who else I'm angry with." She seethed and Wakka immediately jumped away and yelped in fear.

_Dang, she's mad!_

Other than that, as we continued on towards the mountains, killing off the same annoying fiends, I could tell the tension was slowly lessening and we all weren't so moody as we once were. Except…Auron still seemed bothered by something, and I was dying to know what it was.

_I really hope I haven't done anything to him that made him mad._

I just sighed and tried to forget about it. Whatever it was...he would hopefully tell me about it later. So, I tried to act as though I wasn't worried and continued walking in silence with the others.

"Fiends!"

Wakka and Tidus shouted in unison as two rather large, muscular Catoblepas came galloping towards us. They were a dark purple color with arms and legs the size of tree trunks. They had to be at least ten feet tall on all fours.

Sharp jagged teeth glistened with saliva as the two snarled and growled at us in hatred, wanting to rip us apart, limb from limb.

Tidus, Rikku, and I immediately ran forwards and Tidus took the first hit to the one on the left. I swung at the other while Rikku stole from them.

Tidus suddenly pulled out and Wakka took his place to throw his Blitzball at the Catoblepas's head. It cried out in pain, a scream that caused us all to wince and cover our ears. I clenched my teeth as I swung at it angrily but it quickly backed away and then advanced on me.

"Watch it!" Wakka exclaimed as it tried to pound me into the ground, but I quickly jumped away before stabbing at it again.

My sword had faithfully cut into it's clawed fist and it reared back in rage as the second one began to come at me now. I took a nervous step back as I watched it in awe and fear.

"Wow!"

"Cynyr!" Wakka shouted.

"Get out of the way!" Rikku exclaimed, but as the ground shook from the fiend's weight as it ran towards me, I stumbled on the ground and wasn't quick enough to bring my sword up.

Eye's wide with fear and heart beating like a drum, I watched as the beast lifted a giant claw and aimed for me.

"Cynyr! Move!" I heard Auron shout, but it was too late.

In seconds I was flung backwards with a sharp pain surging through my body, starting at my side and spreading throughout my lower back.

To make it worse, I hit the ground with a thud and the breath was immediately knocked out of me. I lay on my side in pain as I kept my eyes closed and my body still to lessen the pain I felt inside me. I knew I was bleeding and everything was spinning.

_I can't move! _

I groaned in agony as I slowly let myself roll onto my stomach, my hands grasping the earth beneath me as my brows knitted tightly together and I clenched my teeth.

"Yuna!" I heard someone shout, and I could hear the others as they fought back the fiends that tried to kill them as well.

"Crap!" I heard Tidus shout, and I could hear several cries of pain as someone was injured as well. Then, I heard footsteps as someone came running towards me. I opened my eyes as they were kneeling down next to me and I realized it was Yuna.

She gasped suddenly and I slowly tried to rise.

"No, Cynyr! Don't get up!" Yuna exclaimed as she laid a hand on my shoulder. I winced as pain shot through my back, and gasped as fell back on the ground. I lay still as Yuna cast Cura upon me, but it wasn't healing much of the wound, which was unfortunately, behind the armor.

"I'm going to have to take your armor off, Lady Cynyr." Yuna said suddenly, and as she reached to unbuckle the straps I immediately grabbed her hand and stopped her.

_No! You can't! Crap what will I say! _I thought frantically as I squeezed my eyes shut and listened to the sounds of the battle far off.

"No…don't." I managed to gasp out and Yuna leaned closer to me to speak with me.

"But, Lady Cynyr…if I don't…you'll surely bleed to death." Her voice trembled as she said this-trembling with fear and I realized just how much danger I was in.

_ Ida! What do I do? _I thought in panic.

"Yuna! Cynyr!" I heard Lulu call and then I could hear her running towards us, her belts clinking noisily together as she came closer.

_No!_

_ Open your satchel. _Ida replied.

I opened my eyes in surprise and watched as Lulu finally knelt down beside me as well. Her eyes grew wide and I bit my lip nervously.

_Is it that bad? _

"Take off her armor." She instructed immediately and Yuna nodded as she began to undo the straps.

"I'm sorry, Lady Cynyr…but we have to-" I shook my head quickly as I forced myself to roll over on my back. I gasped as I felt a sharp pain stab at my back and moaned.

"Cynyr!" Yuna exclaimed as she leaned over me and looked into my face worriedly.

"Come on!"

"Cynyr!"

"Is she okay!"

The others were quickly making their way towards me now, and I realized that they had already defeated the fiends and were coming to my aid.

_Open your satchel. _Ida repeated and I took several breaths before I finally began to speak.

"Yuna…"

_It takes so much effort to talk! _

Yuna nodded as she began to reach for my buckles again.

"Oh, Yevon." Wakka breathed in as he stopped short and stared down at me with wide eyes.

"Cynyr…" Rikku said softly and slowly, her eyes wide in fear and shock as well.

"Dude, you look like a goner!" Tidus exclaimed and I rolled my eyes, despite the fact that I was in so much pain. Auron just stood there staring at me, his expression unreadable, but I could tell he wanted to say so much.

He wanted to yell at me, scold me, glare at me…everything under the sun and then hold me and try to heal me himself. Yes,…he looked as though he wanted to wrap his arms around me and just hold me.

Kimahri suddenly knelt down on the other side of me and I looked over at him desperately as I breathed heavily, my heart pounding loudly inside my ears.

"Cynyr, if you don't let us take this armor off you'll _die!_" Lulu exclaimed with a harsh tone, a fire in her eyes that would have scared the living daylights out of me…if I was wounded and in pain.

"Kimahri." I choked out as I ignored Lulu.

"My satchel." I finally got out, catching my breath from another stab of pain that surged through my entire body. Kimahri seemed to understand and immediately went for the small bag that was around my waist.

_How will looking in my bag help me live!_

"What are you doing?" Rikku asked curiously as Kimahri searched through the bag, and I just lay there concentrating on breathing and trying to stay alive.

_I will not die. I cannot die…yet. _

I squeezed my eyes shut momentarily then reopened them just as Kimahri was pulling out four bottles of potions. I almost gasped in surprise as I suddenly remembered them.

_Those were the ones I had bought from the Highroad and Macalania! _

"Let me see those, Kimahri." Lulu began as she reached over, and Kimahri immediately gave them to her before looking back down at me. There was an unreadable look in his bright yellow eyes that I couldn't quite place, but he seemed to look sorrowful or sad.

_Is he…feeling sorry for me? _I mentally shook my head at this and gasped from another jolt of pain before groaning again.

"Hurry." I heard Auron say and Lulu popped the top off one of the blue colored potions.

"This one. Drink it all." Lulu instructed as she sat closer to me.

"Kimahri, lift her head." Lulu asked quickly, and Kimahri immediately complied. Surprisingly, he was very gentle with me as he lifted my head from the ground with a large paw, and held his other paw under my back.

As I was sitting up, Lulu placed the potion bottle to my mouth then began to tilt it forward. I almost gagged at the taste of the concoction, but I knew it was supposed to help and that Lulu would force it down my throat if I tried to reject it.

_This tastes like thick mud! Ugh! I'm gong to die on this stuff! _I thought as I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to swallow every last bit of it.

"Give her some water." Lulu looked to Yuna as she put the bottle away and Yuna then gave her the canteen of water.

Once again I drank and finally I was laid back down, gently.

"Thank you Kimahri…Lulu…Yuna." I said softly as I closed my eyes momentarily, feeling the potion take affect already.

"Don't talk. Just rest." Yuna replied with a small smile. I closed my eyes again as I slowly took in a deep breath, feeling the energy of the potion first numb my pain and then slowly begin to heal me as it stopped the bleeding.

_Thanks Ida. I'm glad you remembered that. _

_Rest. _Ida whispered.

"Someone will need to carry her. We can't stay out here for long." Lulu then began to say, and I heard her stand.

I opened my eyes again.

"I carried her last time, so Tidus should do it." Wakka immediately responded and I could already tell Lulu was glaring at him. He took a nervous step back.

"Stop thinking about yourself for once!" Lulu snapped and Tidus immediately chimed in.

"Yeah, Wakka! Besides, you're stronger than me so you could carry her far more longer."

Wakka opened hi mouth to say something, but he was suddenly interrupted.

"Kimahri will carry Cynyr up to Mount Gagazet." Kimahri immediately said, and before anyone could protest he began to pick me up off the ground. I didn't protest either. I wasn't up for walking and I was to tired to speak.

I turned my head into his warm furry chest, letting him hold me against him carefully as he stood up straight and tall again.

"That works." Rikku said from below.

"Kimahri can't carry Lady Cynyr the whole way, so the rest of you men will take turns until she's well enough to walk on her own." Lulu explained in a stern voice. "Understood?" As she said this I closed my eyes again as I felt the tug of sleep pull me in. Slowly, I slipped away and could hear no more.

As I slept peacefully in Kimahri's strong arms, I heard a music box…then a soft and familiar voice.

_Your baby blues…so full of wonder_

_Your curly Q's…your contagious smile_

_And as I watch…you start to grow up_

_All I can do…is hold you tight…_

As Ida sang, I listened with a small smile on my lips.

_Knowing…_

_Clouds will rage in…storms will race in_

_But you will be safe…in my arms_

_Rains will pour down…waves will crash around _

_But you will be safe…_

_In my arms. _

_Story book…are full of fairy tales_

_Of kings and queens and the bluest skies… _

_My heart is torn…just in knowing_

_You'll some day see…the truth from lies_

As she continued to sing, I felt tears caressing my cheeks and I mentally wondered why I was crying. I had grown up hearing that song and now...I was crying. Perhaps it was because it wouldn't be long until the very end of the Pilgimage...an ending that would surely break everyone's heart. Especially mine.

_When the clouds will rage in storms will race in_

_But you will be safe…in my arms_

_Rains will pour down waves will crash around _

_But you will be safe…in my arms_

_Castles, they might crumble…_

_Dreams my not come true _

_But you are never all alone…_

_Cause I will always-always love you. _

_When the clouds will rage in… _

_Storms will race in… _

_But you will be safe…in my arms _

_Rains will pour down… _

_Waves will crash around_

_But you will be safe…in my arms…_

_In my arms._

The song ended softly…the words dying on her lips, and the music box gently softening, then completely disappearing with its very last notes. Now, there was silence, but it wasn't long before I heard the soft footsteps of my friends as they walked in silence through the grasses of the Calm Lands.

I began to wonder how long it had been since I had fallen asleep.

_ If we're still in the Calm Lands…maybe it's only been an hour or so. _I thought, then a cold wind blew and I shivered before feeling myself being held closer to the one who held me to their body for warmth.

Soft fur tickled my nose and I realized it was still Kimahri who held me. _I'm still so tired...and I want to sleep some more. _I thought with a small sigh, then slowly drifted back to sleep.

When I awoke the second time I found it much colder, and even though we were still in the Calm Lands, I knew we were getting closer to Mount Gagazet.

The changes in the air wasn't the only thing I noticed. I also noticed that Kimahri was no longer holding me. Whoever _was_ had a familiar scent, and I drew closer to them, trying to figure out who it was. Their chest was covered and I could feel fabric rubbing against my arms so I knew it couldn't be Wakka or Tidus.

_ That leaves…Auron. _

More awake now, I now knew that it was Auron. It was almost too obvious. For another, I couldn't hear or feel his heart beat. The thought of that _still _caused my heart to ache.

"I've never really been to Mount Gagazet." I heard Rikku shiver. "But I can tell it's going to be freezing up there!"

"How's Cynyr?" I heard Yuna ask from near by.

"She's still asleep."

Auron's chest rumbled against my own as he spoke, and I allowed myself the smallest smile.

"Do you think she'll be okay before we have to climb the mountain?" Yuna asked next and I stirred softly in Auron's arms as he then replied.

"We'll find out when she wakes."

There was silence again and I let myself be carried in and out of sleep several times before finally finding myself wide awake. I opened my eyes, feeling a lot better than I had been and the first thing I saw was the red jacket.

I was comfy where I was, but I knew it wouldn't be right to let Auron carry me for longer than needed. So, I lifted a hand to his chest and he immediately looked down at me, slight surprise but relief on his face. He slowed and the others did as well as they realized I was finally awake.

"Cynyr, you okay?" Rikku asked meekly from beside me, but I didn't answer right away. I kept looking at my hand, which still rested on Auron's chest.

"Are you feeling any better? Do you think you can walk?" Yuna asked quickly beside Rikku. I slowly turned my head towards her and nodded.

"I think so." I began softly. "A lot of the pain has gone now."

"Are you sure?" Auron asked and I turned to him with a nod. With that, he slowly began to put me down. His arm slipped away from behind my knees, his other hand keeping at my back as my feet touched hard frozen ground.

_We're almost to the mountain. _

"Even if you are feeling better…you should take it easy on the way up." Lulu pointed out and I nodded as I tried to catch my balance...with Auron's help.

"You had us pretty worried, you know?" Tidus put in as he walked up to see me. I nodded as I averted my eyes away from him.

_I was almost caught, too. _

"But hey, we're all glad you're okay now!" Tidus quickly added and I smiled a small smile as I looked up at him and then the others.

"Thanks you guys…I really owe you."

"Nah!" Wakka exclaimed with a wave of his hand. "We're like family...we stick up for one another, ya." The others smiled and nodded with agreement.

"That's right." Yuna replied as she continued to look at me.

"You can be like my big sister!" Rikku exclaimed as she suddenly hugged me tightly around the shoulders. I took an uneasy step back, but Auron's hand remained to keep me steady.

"O-okay." I said with a smile as I gently hugged her back.

_I guess that makes me the big sister of two girls now. _I glanced over at Yuna, who was still smiling, then she walked up and gave me a hug too.

"Yay! Group again!" Tidus exclaimed abruptly, then he immediately ran over and hugged me as well. This was followed by Wakka and Lulu, but they were all careful so they wouldn't hurt me in the process.

"Join in, Auron!" Tidus exclaimed as he tugged on Auron immediately, startling him as he stumbled forward. I felt his chest press gently against my back and smiled.

"Watch it." Auron growled in Tidus's direction as he was unwillingly pulled inwards, and I began to laugh as well as the others.

"Hey, just trying to help." Tidus quickly defended with a wry smile.

"Kimahri, you too!" Rikku shouted over my head, but the blue Ronso just shook his head.

"Kimahri is not a hugging person." A few of us chuckled with amusement at this, finding it very true.

_He doesn't strike me as a hugging person anyway. _

Finally, everyone began to move away from me and after a little more laughter and talk we began to walk towards the mountain again. All the while, Auron stuck close beside me…just in case.

* * *

><p>D'aww! Another group hug and lots of love and laughter. ^-^ Such a happy friendship indeed! Hehe I smile every time I read that part.<p>

Hope ya'll liked this chapter! Cause if ya did, please review. (Like I said before) Too lazy? Don't care. :) Da review button is simply a click away, so it won't take to much of your time to send me a little feedback. :)

HUGS!


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Final Fantasy X, Square does. I only own my characters and my ideas.

YAAAAYYY! :D Random... So! Another exciting chapter! Hope I didn't sound to mean on the last chapter when I was all like: "YOU **HAVE** TO REVIEW!" Cause I was just having a bad day...so I was kinda in a bad mood...so, sowwie...

But, by all means, please review cause your reviews will always make me smile! Even if your like "I HATE IT!" haha ;p Anyway, hope you enjoy this next chapter! Part 2 everybody!

* * *

><p><strong>When Secrets Become Harder to Keep Part II<strong>

"Summoner Yuna!" I swallowed hard as the large Ronso, Kelk, slowly approached us and the other Ronso stood around with stern looks on their faces." And guardians, leave this place at once," Kelk continued, "Gagazet is Ronso land, sacred mountain of Yevon."

I looked around cautiously at the other Ronso that stood up on cliffs and boulders, completely surrounding us.

"The mountain will not bear the footsteps of _infidels_." He stressed.

"Enemy of Yevon is enemy of Ronso! Leave traitors!" One of the larger Ronso's exclaimed angrily.

"I have cast aside Yevon!" Yuna began quickly and we all turned to look at her. "I follow the temple no more."

"Then you will die by those words." Kelk growled.

"So be it." Yuna said quietly but confidently, "Yevon has warped the teachings and betrayed us all!"

"Nothing but a bunch of low down tricksters, eh!" Wakka added angrily. I looked up at him with slight surprise, but I could see in his expression that he meant it.

"Yeah!" Both Tidus and Rikku exclaimed together.

"We have no regrets." Yuna added, then the largest Ronso at the front growled with anger and braced himself to attack. Kimahri immediately ran up and stood right up in his face, and the two of them glared at one another as Kelk began to speak again.

"The Summoner and her Guardians…"

"Lord Kelk Ronso, if I may," Lulu began suddenly, "have you not also turned you back on Bevelle?"

"But still you guard Gagazet as a Ronso, not a maester," Auron added, "Yuna is much the same."

"Elder Kelk! Let Biran run them asunder!" The larger Ronso in front of Kimahri growled loudly.

"No escape!" Another Ronso exclaimed with laughter. At this I became irritated and touched the hilt of my sword, ready for battle. But, Auron laid a hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him curiously.

He simply shook his head, so I turned away and reluctantly dropped my hand as Yuna continued to speak.

"No. We will not flee. We will fight and continue on!"

"You have been branded a traitor," Kelk pointed out, "but still you would fight Sin? Lost to the temple, hated by the people, yet you continue your Pilgrimage!" His voice rose as he said this.

"Everything lost! What do you fight for?" Kelk asked and for a moment there was silence before Yuna finally spoke.

"I fight for Spira…" the others nodded in agreement, "the people long for the calm. I can give it to them…it's all I can give." She paused again. "Defeating Sin, ending pain…this I can do." Yuna finished and for a long time, Kelk was silent. All was still and the air around us seemed tensed as we waited for what was to come next.

"Even sacrificing yourself…" Kelk replied as he turned away and began to walk a few feet away.

_He's gonna kill us anyway! After that speech!_

"Ronso!" He boomed and we all seemed to hold our breath.

"Let them pass!"

"Thank goodness." I muttered under my breath, and watched as the Ronso reluctantly backed off.

"Summoner Yuna…" Kelk began again.

_Ugh, can we just go already! It's freezing up here! _

"Your words are stronger than steal…Tempest steal that not even the mightiest Ronso could hope to bend!" Kelk roared. "Yuna…we bow to your will. Now, go! The sacred heights of Gagazet welcome you!"

"We thank you." Yuna said with a bow and we began to walk through, and I sighed softly to myself with relief. Not only because we were allowed through without trouble, but because they hadn't recognized me after all. I had thought that surely, at some point, someone would have said something, but that hadn't.

_All's well that ends well!_

As we walked up the steep mountain trail of snow, trudging past a few of the Ronso, one of them suddenly stepped before us and caused us to stop again.

"H-hey!" Tidus exclaimed first as the Ronso glared down at us, but it looked more like he was glaring down at me.

I took a step back. _Did I speak to soon?_

I bit my lip nervously as I looked up at the Ronso warily and fearfully.

"Summoner Yuna…" He began slowly and I held my breath, "I recognize one of your guardians."

_Please say it's Auron! Yeah, he's been up here before! _

"Oh…" Yuna said slowly as she looked over in my direction, but I knew she was looking at Auron and so were the others. All of them were (as well as I) thinking it _was _Auron.

"The woman…"

My heart almost jumped out of my chest as I looked back up at the Ronso, startled, and I slowly let go of my breath as I went to take another nervous step back.

"Who?" Lulu asked as everyone turned back to the Ronso questioningly.

_ What do I do! _I thought frantically.

_Nothing. _My brows furrowed slightly from Ida's comment.

_That's a great plan… _

"This one." The Ronso stood closer to me and I nervously took a step back as I looked up at him cautiously.

"Lady Cynyr? Do you know each other?" I wasn't sure who Yuna was preferring to with that quesion, but it didn't matter. I was in trouble and I had to think of something fast.

"How do you know me?" I questioned slowly as I tried to compose myself.

"You were here before." The Ronso began as he crossed his large arms over his chest.

"Many of the Ronso searched for you…but you were not found."

"When was this?" Auron asked almost immediately and I swallowed hard as everyone looked over at us curiously.

"Last night." He replied and I felt my palms beginning to sweat. Before anyone else could say anymore, I quickly spoke up.

"I'm sorry but you must be confused with someone else…I've never seen you in my life." I crossed my arms and the Ronso turned to me with a glare.

"You would not have known me…you were in the sky. High above the peaks of the mountain." He explained and the others looked at each other skeptically and suspiciously.

_Okay, just curious...but say I do confess, WHY DOES HE EVEN FREAKING CARE THAT I HAD FLOWN OVER THIS GOD FORSAKEN MOUNTAIN!_

I raised a brow as I made myself look confused and doubtful.

"In the sky?" I asked with a raised, skeptical brow, "I'm sorry but…I don't believe that's possible." Now, the Ronso was becoming more irate with me, and I could tell.

_Shit, I'm in trouble! _

_And who's fault is that? _Ida asked immediately, causing me to glare which caused the Ronso to think I was glaring at him.

"I am not the only witness to your flight. You will be found out…one way or another!" He exclaimed, then turned and sauntered off quickly. We watched as he left and no one spoke until he was well out of sight and earshot.

"What was that all about?" Tidus asked as he walked around to stand in front of me. Everyone else gathered around as well as they looked at me questioningly. Taking the glare off my face I quickly replaced it with a look of confusion.

"How would I know? I seriously think he's crazy. I have no idea what he's talking about and I'm already being threatened!" I shrugged as I played the act carefully and this seemed to convince them.

"Well…it seems rather odd." Lulu began slowly.

"Last night…?" Wakka mused and I glanced up at him nervously.

"Wait!" Lulu suddenly spoke up and we all looked at her in curiosity.

"What is it, Lu?" Wakka asked.

"I was just thinking…but no."

"Tell us!" Tidus exclaimed and Lulu sighed as she crossed her arms and looked up at him.

"We haven't found any more of those feathers have we?"

I bit my lip nervously.

_I've taken all that I could find last night…unfortunately I haven't been able to discard them- _I almost gasped aloud as I suddenly thought of something. _My satchel! And Kimahri had opened it earlier! Could he have seen them! _

I glanced up at the Ronso warily, but he was watching the others as they continued to discuss the situation.

"Perhaps he saw…whatever it is…that's following us!" Rikku suggested quickly.

"But why would he immediately assume it was Lady Cynyr?" Lulu asked suspiciously as she looked up at me. I tried my best to keep calm and a straight face.

"That doesn't make any sense…" I said slowly with a shrug.

"Maybe the creature's human…and it kind of looked like Cynyr." Tidus suggested.

"If it were human it would have to be some sort of mutant." Auron added.

"Yeah! But…why's it after us?" Tidus asked slowly and we all became silent for a moment.

_I'm surprised Auron and Wakka haven't mentioned me being out late last night…otherwise, I'd have to explain why and where I was!_

"Well," Lulu began with a thoughtful hand to her cheek, "whatever it was…it's still following us, but it's up ahead now. So, we need to be extra careful. Got that?" Lulu said firmly and we all nodded with agreement.

_I guess this means no more night flights. But who would want to in this freezing weather! _I thought to myself, then realized we were all moving on up the mountain, so I quickly followed.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, after Kimahri had taken care of his two brothers that had challenged him earlier, we finally found ourselves at a fork.<p>

"Well…which way?" Wakka asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, looking around thoughtfully. I glanced down both the paths that looked very much a like and realized I had recognized them, despite the fact they looked the same.

_I remember these paths from last night…_

I opened my mouth to speak, but as I was saying "left" Auron was saying "right," and we simultaneously pointed in opposite directions.

Auron stopped as he heard me say left, then paused as everyone turned to look at us both.

"What?" Auron questioned with a confused look, and I bit my lip nervously as I pointed up the steeper hill next to me.

"Left. We should go left." I repeated.

"Why?" Auron asked as he turned to fully face me.

"Why _not_?"

There was silence as we both stared up at one another, he, looking at me curiously as I looked at him, waiting for him to agree. Of course, everyone knows that "Auron is never wrong."

"Uh, guys…maybe-" Tidus began, but Auron interrupted.

"I've been here before. It's right, so we'll go right." He turned away after saying this and resumed walking down the path he had pointed out.

"Wrong." I quickly replied, "It's left. I know it is." Now, Auron had stopped in his tracks.

"But you've never been here before…have you?" Rikku asked softly with suspicion and curiosity in her eyes.

"Who said I haven't?" I asked as I continued to look at Auron. He stood still for quite a long time, then, finally, he turned the face me and I realized he was glaring at me.

"We're going right." He said firmly, obviously not about to change his mind. I crossed my arms over my chest as I glared up at him as well. I opened my mouth to snap back at him, but Tidus quickly intervened.

"Hey! Wait, I got an idea!" He jumped between us and we all looked at him expectantly. He cleared his throat as he began.

"We'll…split up! One group goes this way, the other goes that way!" He explained as he pointed to each trail and we stood in silence for a moment, letting this idea sink in.

"Sir Auron?" Lulu turned to him, waiting for his approval, because apparently we all approved of the idea without having to say anything. Auron looked over at the young, black mage, then at Tidus, and finally at me. I held my head up a little higher.

"Fine." He grunted, and turned away as Tidus began to assign who with what group to go down which trail.

"Okay! So, Cynyr, Wakka, Rikku, and I…we'll go left! Lulu, Yuna, Auron, and Kimahri…go right!" Auron harrumphed, but said nothing more before sauntering off down the trail to the right. Meanwhile, the rest of us began up the steeper hill to the left.

"Thanks Tidus." I murmured as we trudged quickly through the snow.

"No problem!" He exclaimed as he threw his arms behind his head in a relaxed manner.

"But what if it's a dead end?" Rikku pointed out.

"It's not." I replied without looking at her.

"How can you be for sure, ya?" Wakka asked as he looked over at me, and I shrugged.

"Instinct…I guess."

"Well, I hope you _are _right." Tidus began and I looked over at him curiously.

"Why's that?"

He grinned.

"Because I want to see the look of defeat on Auron's face!" He laughed, and both Rikku and I joined in, but Wakka crossed his arms in obvious disagreement.

"Hey, I don't think you should be bad mouthing Sir Auron, ya!"

"Aw, lighten up, Wakka!" Tidus exclaimed. "You know you want to see his face too."

"Yeah!" Rikku cheered as she hugged her arms closer to her body, despite the fact that she was miserable in the freezing cold, shivering like a dog caught in the rain in the middle of January.

I smirked as I had a mental image of Auron's face when he realized I had been right, and chuckled.

"It'll be priceless."

* * *

><p>Thirty minutes passed and we were still climbing up the steep hill. Not only that, but I was falling behind. My side was hurting again and I held a hand to it as my breathing became more shallow.<p>

_Great...Just lovely._

I felt sleepy again, and several times I stumbled over the rough terrain under the snow, and I even tripped over my own feet. As it became harder and harder to breath, I could feel my heart pounding hard and heavy inside my chest.

"You okay back there, Cynyr?" Tidus asked as he stopped to look down the trail at me. Rikku and Wakka also stopped to turn and look at me. I caught up with them as I waved a hand and licked at my dry lips.

"Yeah…I'm fine…come on…we're almost there." I said between breaths. They looked at one another skeptically, but as I continued on they just shrugged and also kept going. They made sure to stay close to me though.

Five minutes passed…ten minutes passed and I was slowing down even more and my breathing was becoming more raged. Not only that, but my vision was blurring and coming in and out of focus.

_My legs feel weaker and weaker..._

"Maybe we should stop." Tidus suggested as he gave a wary look behind him, and both Wakka and Rikku exchanged glances.

"Cynyr I-" Tidus stopped and yelped as I abruptly collapsed in the snow and groaned in pain.

"Cynyr!" Both Wakka and Rikku cried out, and all three of them ran to me. Tidus got to me first and gently lifted me off the ground and into his lap. My eyes were squeezed shut as Wakka and Rikku knelt beside me, and I clutched at my side as the pain continued to stab at me.

"Don't…touch me." I gasped out, but Wakka laid his hand across my forehead anyway and whistled a long whistle as he drew away.

"Man, you're burning up!"

"Wait! Don't you have another potion?" Rikku asked.

"You should have let Yuna heal you when you had the chance!" Tidus added as I fumbled for my satchel.

"Should I go get Yuna?" Wakka asked slowly.

"_She _should have been the one to come with us." Rikku pointed out as Wakka and her stood, and I finally got my bag opened and quickly took out the second bottle of blue concoction.

"Rikku, you got any water?" Tidus asked as he took the potion away from me. I groaned in pain again as I heard Tidus uncork the bottle. I looked up at him as he held it under his nose to smell it.

He immediately drew away with a look of disgust on his face and I rolled my eyes despite the fact that I was in pain.

"It tastes worse than it smells." I muttered as I grabbed at my side again, a warm liquid covering my hand almost immediately.

"I believe it." Tidus muttered as he noticed the blood as well, then he looked up at Rikku. "Here, hold this while I take her sash off. Maybe we can suppress the bleeding." He explained. Rikku took the potion and I heard her gag and I immediately assumed she had tried to smell the stuff too.

"Let me see it." Wakka murmured, then several seconds later, he gagged too.

"Man, I feel sorry for you, kiddo!" I sighed in exasperation as Tidus took away the sash then suddenly began to unbuckle my armor.

My hand shot out and grabbed hold of his as I stopped him immediately.

"Hey, whoa!" Tidus exclaimed in surprise and both Wakka and Rikku went down on the ground next to me again.

"Hey, Cynyr calm down, ya."

"Yeah, we're just trying to help you out." Rikku added as I kept a strong hold on Tidus. I didn't take my eyes off him.

"I'll drink…the potent concoction…but…do _not _take off my armor." I hissed and Tidus raised a brow at this with suspicion.

"Why not?"

"Come to think of it…she hasn't really taken it off lately since we were Macalania woods last." Rikku said thoughtfully. I bit my lip, hard as I tried not to look nervous.

"Cynyr, we've got to stop the bleeding, whether you like it or not." Wakka said sternly as he looked down at me with a serious expression. I swallowed hard then looked over at Rikku...then at Tidus.

_No! I won't let them! _With that I gathered up all the strength I could muster and quickly got up.

"H-hey!" Tidus exclaimed in surprise as he jumped up as well.

"Cynyr!"

I stumbled away from them a few feet before stopping and turning to the three of them, a glare on my face as I kept a hand to my side.

"I told you. No!" I exclaimed, then winced as pain shot up my spin, electrifying my nerves in my side and lower back. I felt dizzy and light, feeling faint and ready to drop.

"Stop being so stubborn." Wakka said as he furrowed his brows.

"You're being ridiculous!" Tidus exclaimed with hands on hips.

"Lady Cynyr…please!" Rikku pleaded, and then there was silence as all three of them stared at me, waiting, and I stared back at them, tense and glaring.

Several seconds passed in silence and both Wakka and Tidus suddenly exchanged glances.

"Grab her!" Tidus shouted and the two of them immediately ran towards me. Unable to make sense of what I was going on, I was suddenly grabbed by Wakka as he took hold of both my hands, raising them high above my head as he pulled me towards him.

"I've got her feet!" Tidus exclaimed.

"And I've got her…sash?" Rikku added as she ran up to us as well.

"Rikku, unbuckle her armor and quickly tie up the wound." Tidus exclaimed and I gasped as Rikku ran to me and began to unbuckle the straps quickly. She had done it so fast I barely had time to notice they were undone.

Rikku then took off the front of the breast plate and gasped aloud from the sight of my wound. Deep long gashes from the claw marks the fiend had given me that ran diagonally across my side.

"Holy crap!"

"Rikku!"

"Oh, right!" Rikku exclaimed as she lifted my shirt away from the wound. I sucked in a breath as the cold wind hit my exposed skin and I pressed my back more against Wakka's chest to keep the other half of my armor on, trying to keep my wings covered and hidden.

"Wakka…let go." I exclaimed angrily as I tried twisting my hands away from him, but he held fast.

"Cynyr, you're only gonna make this harder for yourself, now be still.

"And please don't kick me in the face." Tidus pleaded as he continued to put pressure on my feet, preventing me to kick him in the first place.

Too weak to resist them, I finally gave up and let Rikku wrap my wound as tightly as she could make it. I moaned and winced a few times as she did so, but I tried my best to keep still.

"There! All done." She exclaimed as she tied it off. Then, she began to buckle my breast plate back into place, and I felt Wakka's hands loosen around my wrists.

"See, that wasn't so bad." She added as Tidus let out a relieved sigh, then got up from the ground.

I let out a relieved and tired sigh as well, then began to wilt like a flower towards the ground, finding little strength left in me to even stand.

"Whoa." Wakka gasped as he grabbed hold of me quickly.

"Where's the potion?" I heard Tidus ask.

"I left it over here." Rikku replied, and then I heard her footsteps crunching in the snow as she fetched the potion and handed it over to Tidus.

In seconds I was being forced to drink the awful stuff before having to drink more water.

"Now, she needs something to eat. Her blood sugar will be low, ya." Wakka advised as I coughed and choked. Then, I felt the potion take action inside my body like before.

It numbed my wounds and ran through my veins, into my heart, out again to spread throughout my entire body, healing me slowly.

_Gosh…I feel so weird. _

I could breath easier now, but I was becoming drowsy again, just like before. I was slowly blinking, my eyes closing for long seconds before I would finally open them.

"I have some dried meat I can give her." Rikku suddenly offered and Tidus took it from her.

"That'll do. Here, Cynyr. You're gonna have to eat this if you want to live."

_Thanks for the support._

I sighed as I finally opened my eyes and lifted a weak hand up to take the dried meat from him and stuck it in my mouth to chew on.

"Help her up, Wakka." Tidus then instructed.

"Yep. I'm on it." Wakka lifted me easily up off the ground and into his arms and as I chewed, swallowed, and chewed again I could feel myself slowly drifting away into sleep.

"What if fiends attack?" I heard Rikku say as my hearing began to fade as well.

"…should get Yuna and the others…"

"…not here…rest…lets go." Then there was silence and I began to sleep again.

**Twenty Minutes** **Later...**

When I woke, for what felt like the hundredth time, I could feel my body being moved slightly underneath another moving body. I heard the crunching of snow, voices, and heavy breathing, and at first I was confused. Then it hit me.

_Oh yeah…I fell asleep. The potion…the water…the meat…the drug. _

I sighed softly as I forced myself to wake up, and then I heard a muffled voice above me. I couldn't quite make out the words yet; I was still in a daze.

I moaned softly as I slowly opened my eyes, forcing the heavy lids to open, then blinked as I first saw Wakka above me. He was carrying me and apparently down hill.

_Why do I feel so weird?_

"You awake already? How you feeling?" Wakka asked as he slowed and both Tidus and Rikku came to the side of me.

"Yo." I replied as I saw their faces. Each of them gave me an odd look before exchanging glances with one another, then they looked back down at me.

"You feeling okay there, Cynyr?" Tidus asked warily.

"Just dandy." I replied with a sigh. "Can you put me down now?" I asked as I looked back up at Wakka.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked slowly and I nodded. He looked over at Tidus and Rikku and the two of them both shrugged simultaneously. I smiled a small smile then felt myself being lowered.

I braced myself as my feet touched the ground, but as soon as Wakka took his hand away from my back I began to sway and stumble backwards.

Wakka quickly caught me and Tidus sighed with a shake of his head.

"You're hopeless."

"Thanks for the encouragement." I muttered with a glare in his direction. My world was still spinning and I was trying to keep my balance, but there was still an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"I don't know about this…maybe you should sleep some more." Wakka suggested, but I shook my head.

"Nope. I'm good."

"Uhhh…" Tidus began skeptically as I tried to walk on my own. I stumbled forward a little, stood still for a moment then looked around through squinted eyes.

"Where are we again?" I asked as I looked over at the others, but then I remembered and shook my head.

"Oh yeah, we're on Mount Gagazet. Um…where are the others?" I asked next and all three of my friends exchanged glances with one another as they looked at my worriedly.

"Maybe the potion was spiked." Rikku whispered to Tidus, who quickly nodded his head in agreedment. I gave them both an odd look and pointed at both of them as I slowly opened my mouth to speak.

"Are you guys siblings?"

"Tidus! Wakka! Rikku! Lady Cynyr!" We all turned to the sound of Yuna's voice and saw her and the rest of the Guardians coming up the steep hill towards us.

I watched her and the others coming towards us and she smiled up at me as she waved.

"Cynyr, you were right!" She giggled and I smiled back.

"Yeah!" I shouted back, but then I turned to the other three with a confused look.

"About what?" I whispered and Tidus smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand.

_I don't understand…it seems like I've forgotten a few things. _

"Yeah…that potion was spiked, ya." Wakka said with a sigh.

"Yuna! We need your help over here!" Wakka called down the hill, and within seconds Yuna and the others were up on the hill with us.

"What's wrong?" Yuna asked as she immediately looked over at me, but I was scanning over the others, trying to remember everyone's name.

_Lets see…there's Lulu, Kimahri…_

"Umm…" Wakka, Rikku, and Tidus began in unison as they also looked at me with raised brows.

"It's sorta like this…" Rikku began.

_…Auron…Yuna…Tidus…_

"We'll make a long story short." Tidus added quickly. "We gave her the other potion because she was feeling bad again and when she woke up she…" Tidus trailed off after that, unsure about what to say next as he shrugged several times and just gestured at me.

Now, everyone was looking at me, but I was looking at the tall redhead in the bright yellow clothing.

"…Wakka…right?" I asked with uncertainty, causing him to raise a brow.

"You gave it to her, when?" Lulu asked as she glanced from me to Tidus.

"We gave it to her- I don't know, what would you say, Wakka?" Tidus asked as he turned to the redhead.

"Eh, not sure."

"Ugh. Men…" Lulu exclaimed with a shake of her head.

"I think it was about…twenty minutes ago." Rikku suddenly said.

"Oh, and you're Rikku." I said suddenly with a smile, looking around at the others like it had been totally normal what I had just said. They gave me side way glances, then Lulu began to speak again.

"Well, that explains everything."

"What?" Wakka asked, ready to defend himself. Lulu glared at both Tidus and Wakka now as she walked over to me and laid a hand across my forehead.

"You gave it to her too soon! That potion said not to be used again after four to five hours after one dose." As she said this I felt an odd warmth coming from Lulu's hand and I suddenly became sleepy again.

Then, something seemed to zap through my body and I instantly became weaker. Suddenly, my legs gave out from under me and I gasped as I fell into Lulu's arms and my world went black.

When I awoke, for what felt like the THOUSANDTH time, everything was blurry at first, and when things began to come into focus I saw snowy hills, familiar faces, then I heard familiar voices.

More awake now, I slowly turned to look at each face, a confused look upon my own as I tried to remember what had happened.

_Lets see…I was…no…we were- I was with- ugh never mind! I can't remember anything! _

"What's going on?" I asked slowly as I held a hand to my head, and the one thing that I _did _remember came to my mind and I quickly covered the place where the blue markings showed on my forehead.

_Crap! Crap Crap! CRAP!_

"Cynyr…are you back to normal now?" Rikku asked from beside me as I forced myself to sit up. I realized I was lying on a flat rock somewhere on the trail on Mount Gagazet, and all of my friends were sitting around me with worried looks on their faces.

I pulled my hair quickly around my forehead and looked at each of my friends. Yuna, Lulu, Tidus, Rikku, Kimahri, Auron, and Wakka.

"Um…yeah I guess, but what do you mean by that?" I asked as slowly lowered my hand.

_I know they saw the mark! They had to if they had laid me down on the rock! This is terrible! This day totally sucks! _

"Well, lets just say when we gave you that potion," Tidus began nervously, "we gave it to you too soon, so you…kind of acted really weird." My eyes widened in fear as he said this and Tidus immediately noticed this.

"No, no, no, nothing like _really_ weird! Just…you couldn't quite remember what things were or who we were and you acted kind of…happy."

"You were just a little out of character for a while." Wakka added with a wave of his hand.

"It was actually kind of funny." Rikku giggled and Tidus grinned. I glared at both of them and they began to laugh.

"I don't remember that." I remarked defensively.

"Of course you wouldn't…Lulu did something to you to help you feel better and stuff," Tidus shrugged, "you were really dazed…"

"Well, how are you feeling now, Lady Cynyr?" Yuna asked with a small smile, and I nodded slowly.

"Yeah…I'm okay."

"Good." She said with a small sigh of relief, then stood up as well as the others. I also began to stand, and when we were all standing together, Lulu finally spoke.

"Well, I suppose we should get going…" then she paused, "but I believe I have a question of my own…and I'm sure everyone else here shares the same question as well." I looked around at everyone in wonder, their face expressions changing slightly, but I couldn't read them.

_Okay..._

I finally looked back up at Lulu, curiously, and she met my gaze with her own steady one. There was a look of seriousness and curiosity there and I swallowed hard.

"We noticed the mark on your forehead."

* * *

><p>-GASP- :O Ohhhh nooooo! They <strong>did <strong>notice! Now, what's Cynyr gonna do to? Can she get out of this one? Will she finally have to reveal her secret? If so, what'll be their reaction!

**REVIEW IF YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER! XD**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything that Square has made. I only claim my ideas and my characters.

It's another Terrific Tuesday everybody! XD I bet yall are excited! Me toooo! So, I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to realize, but I've never told you guys how to sound out Cynyr's name...

Well, I'll tell ya. (Sa-Near) Hope that helps ya guys out, and sorry it's taken me this long to tell ya. I think it crossed my mind once, but then I just forgot. Ah, well.

So, here's what you've been waiting for! ^-^

* * *

><p><strong>Markings and Scars <strong>

"Birth mark." I spoke before even thinking as everyone looked at me with a raised brow. My mouth had just immediately opened on instinct, as if I had known what to say all along. In fact, I hadn't even had time to think.

_Where did that come from? _

Now I looked at the others hopefully as the silence around us thickened.

_But more importantly, will they believe me…?_

"A…birth mark?" Tidus asked slowly with crossed arms.

"That's hardly believable." Auron remarked with a small glare on his face. I swallowed hard.

_Well…bang goes that._

I shrugged as I tried to keep a straight face and not look too worried. I hoped, most of all, that I wouldn't reveal anything by accident.

"Birthmarks aren't blue…and purple…" Lulu began slowly with a look of accusation.

_They were that close to me to figure out what color it was! _

I bit my lip momentarily, then I opened my mouth to speak, but Yuna spoke first.

"Lady Cynyr…I know we've asked before…" she took a small step forward, "and you've told us before, but I must ask again…" I bit my lip nervously as I looked at her anxiously.

"Who were your parents?"

_What does this have to do with my parents. Even if I knew them...that wouldn't answer their question. _I shifted from one foot to the other as I crossed my arms over my chest and replied.

"I told you…I never knew them…I was raised by the Al Bhed."

"But wasn't there someone else before that? Remember?" Tidus suddenly began, and I looked over at him, almost glaringly.

"When your parents died…_who_ found you?" Yuna asked as she immediately caught on.

"I-I don't remember them either…all I know is that I was saved and taken to the Al Bhed. Why does it matter? What does this have to do with my birth mark?"

"Why did you hide it, is the question?" Auron remarked and for a moment there was an awkward silence.

"Because…it's different…" I began, and swallowed hard as I felt my throat become dry, my palms sweating, "I thought you would…make fun of me…others have done it before." I quickly added.

_Wow, I do believe I'm getting better and better at lying! _

Yuna suddenly walked towards me, a look of pity on her face as she held her hands to her heart.

"No, Lady Cynyr, we would never make fun of you…we're your friends." I averted my eyes from her as I nervously shifted from one foot to the other.

Then, I shrugged as I looked down at the ground and replied.

"It's just how I've felt over the years. So, I've always hidden it from everyone." I explained, and then there was a long silence before anyone spoke again. All that was heard was the crying wind and the sound of breathing.

"That mark wasn't there before." Auron suddenly began as he took a step forwards, and I looked up to meet his stern gaze.

_He looks suspicious. _

_Do **not** reveal anything._

"No…of course it wasn't." I replied slowly as I tried to think of a good reason for why that was.

"Well, why?" Rikku asked with a confused look.

"Because…it only shows up during a period of time…then it fades back into the normal color of my skin." I explained.

_As if! _

"Humph! I don't believe you." Auron suddenly replied and I glared up at him.

"Sir, Auron…?" Yuna said softly as she turned to look at him now, but Auron and I continued to glare at one another.

"I think you're hiding something."

"Don't we all?" I snapped back and he abruptly grew silent. I smirked.

"Please, not this again!" Tidus groaned as he smacked his forehead.

"If what you say is true…" Wakka began with crossed arms, taking a few steps towards me as he spoke, "then we believe you." He nodded once before continuing. "We're all honest with one another…nothing more to say, ya?" I shifted nervously again as all eyes were on me again.

"Right." I lied.

_But…I'm not being honest. _

_All in good time, Cynyr. _

"Even if Cynyr tells lie," Kimahir suddenly began, his deep voice rumbling as he spoke, "we should not hold it against her. Many have secrets…many that do not wish to tell." He crossed his large arms over his mighty chest as we all looked at him and slowly, everyone nodded in agreement.

"Very wise words, Kimahir." Lulu mused and I nervously looked at each of the faces of my friends.

"Lets just get going." I replied and Yuna, who still stood in front of me smiled with a nod.

"Yes. Let us continue."

_So, I guess I don't have to hide the markings anymore? _

_Hide them nonetheless._

* * *

><p>As we walked onward through the many trails, it was slowly growing darker and we decided to look for a place to stay the night.<p>

The temperature was dropping, Rikku was complaining again, and fiends were getting harder to fight as they had the advantage of the many places to hide.

_I wonder how we're going to build a fire out here? _

"It's freezing! Can we stop now and build a fire?" Rikku asked pleadingly.

"You got the wood?" Tidus asked as he shivered as well.

"Well…no…" Rikku replied slowly, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. Lulu sighed with irritation.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and find some later on."

"But it's getting dark! And there's too many fiends out here!"

"Rikku!" Wakka began with a heavy sigh. "Complaining won't solve anything, so just hush your mouth, ya!"

"Hey, you don't have to be so mean! I'm just cold and tired!"

"We all are!" Wakka growled with a glare. She yelped and immediately ran up to Yuna and cowered beside her.

"Yuuuunaaa, Wakka's being mean to me again!" All at once, Wakka, Tidus, Lulu, and I sighed heavily as Yuna wrapped a comforting arm around her cousin's shoulder.

Then, for several minutes, there was silence. Only the sound of our footsteps crunching through the snow and the freezing wind blowing was heard. Sometimes we would hear the calls of different animals, even fiends, but for a long while we weren't attacked by any.

We had passed many large boulders and staffs that were on the side of the road, graves for the fallen guardian's or summoners. I hoped that we wouldn't have the same fate as they had, freezing to death out in the cold night of Mount Gagazet if the fiends didn't get us first.

Suddenly, Kimahri and Auron stopped ahead and we stepped behind them, huddling closer together for warmth.

"Why'd you stop?" Rikku asked as she abruptly hugged Yuna closer to her.

"Large cave up ahead." Kimahri replied as he stood still and tall, looking as if the mountain air didn't even bother him. Of course...he was a Ronso.

"Really?" Rikku squeaked with excitement, hugging Yuna harder.

"Finally." Tidus sighed.

"Come on." Auron commanded, and he began to trudge forward with all of us close behind, eager and anxious to get there.

"Rikku...you can stop squeezing me now." Yuna asked gently.

"Oh, sorry!" Rikku exclaimed as she loosened her grip on her older cousin.

Once we made it to the mouth of the cave, Lulu and Kimahri entered first. Kimahri made sure there weren't any fiends inside and Lulu lit the way with a bright yellow flame in her palm.

Several minutes later, the two reemerged and Lulu beckoned us in.

"It's safe."

As she turned to go back inside, her feet clicked and echoed in the hollow cavern. Everything was echoing back to us as we followed her and Kimahri inside.

"So how do get a fire started?" Wakka asked as he rubbed his arms.

"We found some wood left by other travelers over here." Lulu explained as she walked a few yards away from us, only her face and hand glowing from the fire she held.

_ It's so dark in here! _

I shivered, as did the rest of us as Lulu began to set the wood up for a fire and Wakka immediately began to help her.

Once the fire was lit we were able to see a little bit more of the cave, but not much. It was a small fire, plenty of wood, fortunately, but the cave was still really massive and the light couldn't get to every wall.

So, we gathered around close and warmed our hands and feet as we all sat silently inside the cave, away from the entrance. There, the wind howled and fiends prowled.

_ I'm so tired…I could fall asleep right now! Where's my shawl… _

I opened my satchel and began to look inside. Finding the shawl, I took it out and wrapped it around me. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

Several minutes later, Lulu spoke.

"Two people are going to have to stand watch." Immediately, everyone seemed to slump in pity, but Lulu continued.

"I know it's cold and everyone's tired, but it's best to sleep knowing we won't be attacked during the night." She looked at each of us as she said this. "Besides, we have Yuna to look after. We're nearly to Zanarkand…we can't give up now." We all nodded slowly in agreement, despite how tired and cold we were.

"Well, Tidus has my watch." I said before anyone else could speak.

"What!" Tidus yelped as he sat up straight and looked over at me, a look of disbelief and horror written on his face. I smiled as I nodded.

"That's right. You owe me." He gave me a weird look and Wakka began to chuckle as I exchanged glances with him.

"I don't believe you recall our little _bet _from before…?" I trailed off as I let Tidus think about this a moment. When he realized what I meant he groaned in agony.

"Of all times, Cynyr! Really?" He squeaked the last word, and I nodded with a grin.

"You didn't think I would have forgotten did you?" I smiled with triumph and Tidus groaned as his shoulders slumped.

"Wakka?" He looked to him for help but Wakka just shook his head and smiled.

"Sorry, buddy. A bet's a bet!" He exclaimed with a booming laugh.

"Besides," Lulu began, "Lady Cynyr is hardly in any condition to be staying up for two hours on watch. She needs rest more than any of you." Tidus rolled his eyes as he finally stood up, and Wakka chuckled with amusement.

"Wakka, you'll go with him." His smile immediately left his face as he stared at Lulu in disbelief.

"What?" He exclaimed, and now it was Tidus's turn to laugh.

"Ha! In your face, Wakka! Now, come on!" Then, he began to walk towards the entrance of the cave and Wakka growled with irritation as he slowly got up.

"Alright, alright."

He turned and trudged in the direction Tidus had, and now, there was silence again. I stared into the flames of the fire while the rest of us either sat next to it, still awake, or lay down to sleep. Rikku and Lulu were the only one's lying down and, surprisingly, Yuna was still awake.

Suddenly, she rose and walked towards me. I looked up at her and watched as she came over to sit next to me and she smiled as she whispered.

"How's your wound?"

I shrugged as I glanced away a moment, then returned my gaze to her.

"Fine…I suppose." She nodded as she wrapped her arms around her legs, bringing them closer to her body.

"I heard that Wakka and Tidus had to hold you down so that Rikku could wrap you up." I sighed heavily as I remembered this and looked away from her as I thought about what else could have happened.

_I've got to be a whole lot more careful from now on. They could have very well seen my wings._

"Yeah…"

"You know…you can trust us, right?" Yuna asked slowly, and I looked back up at her as I slowly nodded.

"Yes…but-" I stopped abruptly, unsure of what I was going to say. So, I shrugged and shook my head instead.

"Never mind."

Yuna stayed silent a moment and for a long time we just sat listening to the fire crackle and pop, the wind blowing behind us near the entrance.

"You should probably let me try to heal it a little." She suggested and I looked at her in surprise.

"But…you're so tired. I don't want you to waste all your energy on me" I pointed out. "Besides," I continued, "you're the summoner, so you're more important than me. If I died, I dide for you…so, that Spira may have the calm they deserve." I said the last part quietly and Yuna grew silent as she let this sink in.

"I know…" she began as she continued to look down at the ground, "but you're my friend…my sister…you mean so much to me, and I'd be willing to do whatever I can to save you."

"Really?" I asked in surprise as I looked up at her with a small smile.

"Yes."

Yuna looked back up at me with her own smile and I nodded slowly before looking around at the others who slept soundly. All, except for Auron and Kimahri. Auron sat across from me, sitting silently and most likely listening to our conversation. Of course, it wasn't hard to over hear because we were all so close to each other.

"Thanks." I murmured as a small smile crossed my lips, and I continued to loo into the flames of the fire.

"May I heal you then?" Yuna asked after several seconds of silence, and I bit my lip gently as I turned to her and finally nodded.

"If you wish too."

Then, I reaching down to unbuckle the straps on my left side where the wound was located. I did so carefully, as to not hurt my wound and when it was finally unlatched I paused a moment.

Slowly, I removed the front of the breast plate as I held my other hand on my back to keep my wings hidden. I hoped Yuna wouldn't notice this and wouldn't ask or become suspicious.

With just the fire light to see by, Yuna took the sash off and examined my gashed skin. She looked sorrowful at it and I bit my lip as I watched her close her eyes and hover her hands over my wound. Softly, she whispered under her breath words that were foreign and unknown to me. As she spoke them I felt my wound heal and the skin began to knit back together.

The tissue was growing back and the blood that had dried vanished, broken veins reattached, but when she began to lower her hands I looked down at my wound and saw that it hadn't healed completely.

It was a _very _deep wound, but what Yuna had done was good enough for me. I would definitely be able to sleep during the night without having to wake up in pain or anything.

"How's that?" Yuna asked softly as she looked up at me with a weary smile, and I met her gaze and nodded.

"Thanks Yuna, but…don't wear yourself out to much."

She nodded with a smile, then turned and stood before walking back over to her place next to Rikku. There, she laid herself down, but before she did completely, she turned to me again.

"It's going to be really cold…so if you like, you can sleep next to us tonight."

"Thank you…I will."

Then, she nodded before lying back down to sleep. I turned back to the fire, looking into the flames for while and subconsciously knew Auron was still sitting across from me on the other side.

I wasn't sure if he was asleep yet or not, because he looked to be relaxed and his head seemed bowed behind his silly collar. Taking a glance up at him I also noticed that his glasses were farther up on the bridge of his nose, hiding his one russet eye that I longed to see.

_I wish I could see his eye-I wish I could see his face. _

Looking around at the others I found most of them asleep or not paying attention. So, I looked back up where Auron sat. He still looked to have not moved, so I decided to get up and move a little closer.

I wasn't really sure why I wanted to, but I thought for some reason that I _had_ to see his face. I was suddenly a little kid again, curious and naïve, wanting to get a closer look. I didn't even question myself why, I just got up and slowly crawled forward to the place beside Auron.

In case he really had been awake the entire time, I decided I would just smile and act innocent. I hadn't really anything else in mind. Besides, I doubted he was going to scold me or anything.

So, I crept up to him and sat on his left side, looking down onto his face past his tinted glasses. As I had hoped, his eye was closed and his face relaxed. He was asleep.

I smiled slowly as I watched him breath in and out, evenly, sleeping peacefully in his crimson jacket that was hugged tightly against his body.

I watched his chest rise and fall for several seconds, then my smile faded slowly as the thought of his heart came to mind.

_I wish… _

I sighed softly to myself as I leaned back on the balls of my feet and draped my arms over my knees. I stared down at his face, a peaceful look there as he most likely dreamt of things that would keep him asleep until morning.

_In a way…I wish there was another way I could save you, Auron. _I thought with a look of sadness upon my face.

_But I hope…after all that will happen…I hope that you'll understand. I hope you'll forgive me._

"I love you…" I whispered ever so softly as tears welled up in the back of my eyes. I quickly looked away and glanced over where Kimahri sat. His head was bowed, so I figured he was asleep as well.

Thankful that no one had heard me or seen me I began to rise to take Yuna's offer from earlier.

"Don't go…"

I spun around with wide eyes as I heard Auron's soft, deep voice from where he sat, and I sat frozen there as I stared down at him in fear.

_He heard me! _

I lowered myself back down so I could see his face again. He hadn't said anything else and I as I looked down at his face, I sighed in relief.

He was still asleep, and I slowly smiled with amusement.

_He had been talking in his sleep…I wonder what he had been dreaming about. _I mused, and I beamed as I began to rise again and walk towards the place Yuna and the other two lay.

I made no sound as I did so and carefully lay myself down close to Yuna. I closed my eyes as I took in a deep breath and let sleep take me away…far from Mount Gagazet.

As I slept, I dreamt of dying…

I was running for my life, towards a destination I couldn't see, but I knew I had to get there and fast.

On top of that, I was being followed-no, chased. They were gaining on me and as I kept running as fast as I could, my heart continued to stop between beats.

Now they were laughing at me. Laughing like a maniac as they got closer and closer to me, and my heart jumped with fear.

Up ahead I saw something in the distance. I ran faster still, even as my heart failed and the creature behind me kept laughing and shouting, taunting and teasing me.

I opened my mouth to shout as I got closer to my destination, and there I saw what it was. In a bright light there stood a figure in red. It was someone I knew and someone I wished to hold close to me.

"Auron!

As I shouted this my heart made its last attempts and I opened my arms as Auron did so too. I couldn't see his face. It had become a blur, and I could no longer hear my heart.

I reached for Auron, my arms about to close around him, but I passed through him and fell hard on the ground. Eye's wide and heart stopped, I lay there in a sudden pool of blood as my body vanished slowly into thin air and all became silent.

* * *

><p>I woke to the sound of silence, but this silence was peaceful. Unlike the one I had heard in my dream.<p>

My face felt wet and I slowly opened my eyes, blinking several times in the unusual light that filled the cave I raised a hand to my face and wiped at my cheeks. I had been crying, and apparently a lot in my sleep, for my hair near my ears were wet and my lashes felt cold against my cheeks as I blinked.

Several seconds passed as I lay there thinking about what I had dreamed. The images of Auron reaching out to me kept paying through my mind, the image of myself running towards him and then falling through as I died. What bothered me the most was my death.

_How did I die? My dream didn't even show me that...I just fell through Auron and lay in a pool of my blood, heart stopped and eyes wide. _

I shuddered at the mere description I had given myself and finally began to rise from where I still lay.

It was cold and I hugged my shawl closer to my body as I looked around at the others. They were all still asleep. Yuna, Rikku, and Lulu were curled up close to one another, sleeping soundly, and the three men slept several inches away from one another.

Kimahri still slept where had been last night, sitting upright with arms crossed and head bowed, breathing evenly as he continued to sleep.

Suddenly, I remembered the deep gash in my side and I quietly began to unbuckle my armor. I carefully set the front part of the breast plate aside, then I lifted my shirt to examine the wound.

As I had expected, it had healed completely and now, running along my side, were three long scars.

_Hopefully no one will ask about it today…otherwise, they'll become suspicious. Again._

_Keep your secrets safe. _Ida whispered suddenly, and I nodded as I began to replace my armor back over myself. Then, I looked up towards the entrance of the cave, and outside I saw where the light had come from.

Covering the ground of about a foot was beautiful, brilliant white snow. Like a blanket, it covered the ground so smoothly, and I stood to get a closer look.

_I guess it snowed a lot last night. It's so pretty! _

I smiled slowly to myself as I hugged my shawl closer to my body and walked to the entrance of the cave, looking out through squinted eyes as it sparkled in the rising sun. It was so pure and soft looking that I feared of stepping out into it.

_I wish we didn't even have to walk out in it later. I don't mess it up! _I giggled softly to myself, reminding myself of a little kid again. In truth, this was the first time I had ever seen snow. Of course, I had been flying up here before and it had been magnificent then, but with so much of it on the ground…it was even more beautiful than before.

_I think I love snow, now. _

Then, I looked behind me at the others. They were still asleep, and it was kind of early, but I wanted to show everyone how beautiful it was outside.

My first thought was Tidus. He would be excited about it more than any of the others. So, I padded softly towards the sleeping eighteen year old, where he snored loudly near Wakka, and knelt down to wake him.

_Hopefully he won't wake up to loudly. And I swear if he starts to yawn I'll smack his mouth! _

I lay a hand on his shoulder and gently began to shake him. He didn't move at first so, I shook him a little harder and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"Tidus…Tidus wake up." He stopped snoring abruptly as he took in a deep breath, then smacked his lips as he continued to sleep. I rolled my eyes at this and shook him harder, whispering a little louder in his ear.

"Tidus! Wake up!" Now, he was awake. Well, more half awake than fully awake. He moaned softly and turned a little as he mumbled.

"I'm sleeping…"

"No, duh, but I need you to come and see something." I whispered, shaking him again and he turned some more before he cracked an eye open.

"Yuna, is that you?" He asked, but when he saw me glaring down at him, he sighed heavily and closed his eye again before rolling over away from me.

"Oh, never mind." He muttered as he tried to go back to sleep, but I wouldn't let him.

"Come on, Tidus…please?" I whispered, and grabbed a handful of his hair as I turned his head my way. He opened his right eye to glare up at me this time, and I looked down at him pleadingly. He sighed again as he finally began to rise.

"Fine…"

He opened his mouth to yawn but I quickly clamped my hand over his mouth and he looked at me, startled. I glared down at him and pressed my finger to my lips, then slowly removed my hand from his mouth.

He nodded as he looked around at the others and I slowly rose, beckoning him to follow, as I walked back towards the entrance to the cave.

He came slowly and groggily, and surprisingly was a lot quieter than I had expected. I had been afraid he'd trip over somebody, fall on his face and shout and cause everyone to wake up. Fortunately, this didn't happen.

As I stood waiting at the entrance I watched as he held a hand over his eyes, squinting while walking towards me. Then, he slowly dropped his hand and his mouth fell open a gap as he stared out at all the snow that lay softly on the ground.

"Wow…" he breathed, and I smiled as I watched him walk a little closer.

"That…is a lot of snow."

He bent down and reached out to touch it. Then, he took a handful of it and formed a small ball of snow. It was surprisingly thick enough to harden into one.

He beamed as he took the small ball of snow and threw it hard out of the cave. It landed several yards away in the snow, making a soft pound in it as it landed and sunk through. I smiled with amusement, then he turned to me.

"Lets wake the others."

I beamed and nodded, so we turned and began to walk back to the others.

One by one we had everyone up and at the entrance at the cave, staring out at the snow as it glistened in the sun light. For several minutes it was just quiet between us all, but then Tidus ran forwards into the snow with his fists in the air as he shouted.

"YEAH!"

I rolled my eyes but laughed as the others did so too. Then, Wakka joined in. He ran out into the snow after Tidus, who was having to leap through the foot of snow so as not to trip and fall, and laughed along with him.

Suddenly, as expected, Tidus tripped and went down on the ground, sinking into the fluffy white, almost disappearing in the stuff. We all began to laugh, Wakka's laugh the loudest as it boomed off the side of the mountains.

"Not so loud, we could very well create an avalanche." Lulu warned as she warily looked about. We quieted for a moment, then one by one, the rest of us ran out into the snow as well with smiles on our faces.

Yuna quickly went where Tidus lay as he was getting up, and she held her hand out to him as she giggled at his snow covered face. He looked up in surprise, then he began to laugh as well, taking her hand to get up off the ground. Rikku immediately began to make snow angels and both Tidus and Yuna started throwing snowballs at each other.

"Is this safe?" Lulu asked as she looked about warily, and Wakka drew up beside her.

"Course it is! We haven't had a day of fun in a long time, why not make the most of it?" He pointed out, and she smiled up at him as she found this to true.

"Well, I wasn't expecting something like that to come from you…but I believe you're right."

Wakka grinned as he suddenly held up a ball of snow and Lulu raised a brow at him, challenging him to _try _to throw it at her.

"Look, Lulu!" Rikku suddenly exclaimed from behind her, and I watched as Lulu turned to her and Wakka immediately threw the snow ball at her back.

As she spun around, Wakka turned and fled quickly away from her as he laughed loudly.

"Wakka!" Lulu growled, then smirked as she suddenly produced a huge ball of snow that hovered above her hand, and she instantly threw it at Wakka and it hit him hard in the back, causing him to fall on his face in the snow.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed as he rose quickly from the freezing ground. Lulu, Rikku, and I began laughing immediately as he looked behind him at us.

"No fair!" He called as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at us.

"You used magic, ya!"

"I don't recall any rules." Lulu remarked with a smirk and Wakka smiled before chuckling with amusement.

"Hey, guys! I didn't know we were on a cliff!" Tidus suddenly shouted from behind us. I turned to look at him as Lulu and Wakka continued to throw snowballs at each other, and I watched as the teenager stood at the ledge of the cliff, looking over it with curiosity.

"Tidus, get away from there before you fall." Auron growled from near by, but Tidus just waved a hand as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going to fall, old man!"

I smiled as I knelt down and began to gather up some snow.

"Don't be so sure." Auron remarked. "You have a record of tripping and falling."

At this, I threw the hard packed snow in Tidus's direction. It was a far throw and I realized I was going to miss.

Instead of hitting Tidus, it hit a boulder that sat high on an overhang, just above Tidus's head. This caused the snow that covered the boulder to slide off. I began laughing immediately as it slid off and landed on top of Tidus, causing him to yelp as he fell backwards in a pile of snow.

Rikku and Yuna had seen what had happened and began to join in the laughter. In seconds, Tidus's head popped out of the snow and he immediately looked over at me as I continued to laugh at him.

"Was that you!" He exclaimed as he climbed out of the mound of snow, shivering as he shook and brushed his clothes off.

"That was awesome, Cynyr!" Rikku exclaimed with a smile. I looked behind me at her and Yuna and nodded as I just smiled and laughed.

"Ha!" Tidus said suddenly, and I spun around to find Tidus running at me. I immediately turned and fled, both of us running through the thick snow the best we could as I became the victim now.

Unfortunately, for me, Tidus caught up with me and tackled me to the ground. I gasped as I fell through the snow and he landed on top of me, cold snow covering my arms and legs.

He laughed as he looked down at me and grinned.

"Gotcha!" He exclaimed and I laughed as I took some snow and threw it up into his face.

"Yeah, yeah-now get off me!" I said with a smirk as he sputtered out snow, and he finally rolled away and I finally sat up.

We both looked up and watched the others playing around in the snow as well, all except Kimahri and Auron, and we suddenly grinned. I looked at Tidus and he looked at me, then I smirked.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

He winked as he replied.

"Oh, yeah."

* * *

><p>Bahaha! There's a-trouble coming! XD Okay, so this Thursday there's no guarantee that I'll get Chapter six done because I'll be in Virginia. And, unfortunately, THERE IS NO INTERNET IN THE MOUNTAINS! DX Very unhappy about that...<p>

Ah, well...you guys can wait for me, right? I'll have chap six up as soon as I can though. Perhaps by next week on Sunday because I'll be back home by then. :)

So, if you enjoyed this chapter, please **r****eview, **and just let me know what you think etc, etc. :)

Stick around to find out what happen's next.


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING Except my own characters etc. etc. **

**Author's note: **Long time no see. So, I finally finished this darn chapter. it took a while, even after I had time to finish it, to think of some really good scenes. So, please forgive me! Writers Block is not my best friend!

But it did give me time to think about what I should do...although it was a long and painful road indeed. Anyway, lots of good stuff in here, especially the ending. And you'll probably get mad at me when you read the ending...

Bahaha! Anyway, be kind and review. :) I worked really hard on this so the least you can do is give me a little feedback. (Yes, I'm talking to you, you lazy people.) :P Hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

* * *

><p><strong>Avalanche!<strong>

Tidus and I immediately began making snowballs and piling them up in one spot. Every few seconds we'd take one and hit someone with them.

Finally, Tidus began taking four or five of them and throwing them all in Kimahri's direction. The Ronso turned and growled at Tidus, startling him at first.

"Hey, whoa…it's just snow!"

Kimahri suddenly grinned as he knelt down in the snow and suddenly came up with a boulder of the fluffy white. Tidus yelped in fright as he began to run for his life, but his run didn't last very long.

In seconds, the boulder was flying through the air and then smashing into Tidus, causing him to fall on his face in the cold snow.

All of us paused a moment to look and when seeing Tidus covered in snow we began laughing. Seconds later, Tidus's head popped up out of the mound and he shivered.

"Aw, man…come on, Kimahri. That wasn't fair!" He complained and I threw a snowball at his face.

"Who said anything about this being fair?" I asked and both Wakka and Rikku joined in. Tidus laughed as he tried dodging the snowballs, then he ran towards me and I raised my hand, ready to throw another.

But Tidus surprised me by quickly jumping behind me, using me as a shield as two snowballs came smashing into my own face.

"You dork!" I sputtered out snow as I laughed.

As we all continued to laugh and throw snowballs, Auron suddenly spoke up and we quickly quieted as we turned our attention back to him.

"Are you all finished now? I believe we should be getting back on the road." He had a glare on his face and he seemed rather annoyed. Tidus immediately made a face at the "old man" and put a hand on his hip.

"What's wrong with a little fun, Mr. Party Pooper."

Auron immediately looked in Tidus's direction, fixing his death glare on him, but Tidus was so used to it by now that he hardly noticed.

"We should focus on Yuna's Pilgrimage."

"Well, yeah, I knew that, Mr. Pile of Steaming Pancakes."

I snorted at this and Auron turned away.

"Your name calling is becoming tiresome. Lets go." With that, he began walking up the slope past the cave and away from us.

As we all followed behind quietly I suddenly turned to Tidus and gave him a mischievous look as I held up a snow ball. He grinned and nodded as we both understood each other and I looked ahead of me to make sure no one else was watching.

"Let 'em have it." Tidus whispered and I grinned as I pulled back, aimed, and threw as hard as I could. I knew it was a little immature for me, especially since it was something Tidus or Rikku would do, but Auron was becoming a dreary old man and I wanted to have a little fun. For once.

The snowball went flying past heads and instantly hit its mark; the stiff and straight back of Auron as he walked up at the front who stopped abruptly. You could visibly _see _him tense up, and just when you thought he couldn't stiffen up any more than he already was, he _did. _

Everyone but Auron turned their heads in mine and Tidus's direction. The two of us exchanged worried glances then quickly pulled on the best straight face we could muster before slowly turning to look behind us as well, as if to say that there had been someone else behind us.

The others immediately found this false and were already pointing fingers before Tidus and I could even open our mouths to blame the other.

Auron, on the other hand, he stood where he was, unmoving for several seconds before he finally spun around and fixed his glare on Tidus. I couldn't hold back the laughs. Auron had immediately suspected the culprit to be Tidus. I had to admit, if it were me, I would be placing the blame on him as well.

The eighteen year old blonde crossed his arms defiantly and huffed a cloud from his mouth into the cold air as he spoke.

"Well, I can see where all your accusation lies!"

"You're the obvious culprit." Auron practically snarled and Tidus laughed a short and sarcastic laugh.

"What stops you from thinking it might have been _someone else?_" He jerked his head in my direction and I slowly quieted my laughs.

"Cynry?" Yuna began slowly as she looked over at me now, and the corner of my mouth twitched as the others also eyed me curiously.

"How immature of you." Auron said in a sarcastic tone. At this, I decided to play as smart aleck too.

So, I placed one arm across my stomach as I placed my other arm behind me, bowing as I spoke in a chivalry tone.

"Why, thank you, Sir Auron. It was _my _pleasure."

I stood back up as Tidus snickered and I could tell that Auron was just about at the end of his rope. His right hand twitched as he was trying to keep himself from drawing his sword.

I smirked, despite my deadly situation, and the others looked at me with raised brows, as if to say: "did you seriously just do that?"

"Word of advice," Auron growled as he took a step forward, but I held my head a little higher as I crossed my arms over my chest, "watch. You're. Back." For several seconds there was silence.

"Oh, burn!" Tidus laughed as he nudged me in the side suddenly. I gave him a side ways glance and smirked as I turned my attention back to Auron.

"Very well. I accept your _challenge. _Sir Auron."

The dark Samurai only harrumphed and spun on his heel to begin walking back up the slippery slope angrily again, his back just as stiff and straight as always.

Tidus shook his head as he chuckled, the others simply shaking their heads in disbelief while I just smiled with amusement. I was definitely digging my own grave here.

"So, when he wins-" Tidus began, but I cut him off.

"Oh, there's no way _he's _going to win." I laughed lightly to myself and Tidus chuckled again as we walked at the rear of the group.

"Right. Well, I wish you luck."

* * *

><p>Two hours later we stopped to rest on a hill. It was covered in just as much snow and there were just as many boulders that surrounded the place. Near the right there was a small trail that led down the other side of the mountain. It was shrouded in shadow's and looked slippery and dangerous.<p>

"Rest a little. We'll get to the other side of the mountain by dusk." Auron explained as he stood next to the path. Apparently, he was guarding the way in case any fiends tried to sneak through and make a surprise attack.

"Kimahri, you take the cliffs." Auron instructed, and Kimahri nodded once before quickly jumping up on a boulder to the left of us, and then bounded up the rest of the way.

We watched as he climbed lightening quick and disappear behind a snow covered peak before settling ourselves down. We knew Kimahri would keep the fiends in the peaks above us at bay.

"You should rest most, Yuna." Lulu was saying and I looked over where Yuna and Lulu were now sitting. They sat on a large boulder that Lulu had swept of the snow and were now sitting close to one another for warmth. Rikku, however, did not bother to sit down, despite the fact that she was shivering. It was probably to cold for her to do so.

"You think Auron's over there cooking something up for you later." Tidus whispered close behind me, causing me to jump and turn to him.

"Gosh, Tidus. Don't sneak up behind me like that." I hissed and he suddenly grinned.

"Why? Did you think I was Auron for a minute there?" He teased and I rolled my eyes as I looked away from him, and he walked around to stand beside me.

"You reckon I should throw another one. Only at his face this time?" I joked in a low voice as I turned to Tidus.

"Just for the fun of it?" I added and the boy snorted.

"I wouldn't over do it."

"I just want to push his buttons."

Tidus snickered as he kicked the snow around his feet a few times, crossing his arms over his chest as he shivered slightly.

"Well, I could help you out on that part." He said suddenly, winking at me as I smiled with amusement.

"Really now?"

"Hey, I've known him longer than anyone. I _should _know what drives him crazy _and_ what irritates him the most." He grinned as he looked up at me expectantly and I slowly smiled as I thought about it.

"Well…now that you mention it…I guess we could give it a shot."

"Sweet."

"The war is on Auron. It'll be a battle of wits. Who can think up the best to aggravate the other the most."

Tidus chuckled at this and smiled evilly.

"You bet it will be. And we're going to win!"

"Dude, not so loud." I hissed and Tidus immediately grew quiet.

* * *

><p>Thirty minutes later, we were walking down the other side of the mountain and both Tidus and I had cooked up a plan. This plan would only work way early in the morning, so there was a bit of waiting and patience on our part.<p>

Without a word, Auron began to decend the trail of shadows that he had been guarding earlier, and we all took this as the beginnings of leaving. So, everyone quietly stood and began to make their way down the trail as well.

Tidus and I made sure to stick close to the back. We noticed as we walked that Kimahri was still among the boulders. He was still following us, but at a good range from the trail where he could look down on all of us.

_Why do I get the feeling he's trying to keep an eye on both Tidus and I? _

The trail we walked down was definitely colder and extremely slippery. Several times someone would slip and another had to either catch them or help them up. I could tell Lulu was trying her hardest not to slip on the ice.

I had to admit though, it would be absolutely priceless to see her slip on the ice in that dress of belts, even if it meant hell for the rest of us if any one dared to snicker or laugh.

"What are you grinning about?" Tidus suddenly asked and I shook my head as I continued to smile.

"Oh nothing." Barely getting those words out, I suddenly slipped on a patch of slick ice and began to fall backwards, gasping as I fell.

"Whoa!" Tidus exclaimed with half a laugh before grabbing hold of my shoulders.

As I looked up at him in surprise he looked down at me with a silly grin on his face. I was about to say something when he suddenly slipped as well and we both toppled to the ground.

"Hey you two! Cut that out!" Wakka suddenly shouted from up ahead and we looked up while still laughing, giving him an odd look.

"What are you talking about? It's not our fault we slipped." I pointed out.

"You're throwing snowballs again so don't even try to deny it!" Wakka exclaimed with crossed arms, a glare on his face and I realized the others were glaring at us as well.

"What?" Tidus asked with a look of confusion on his face.

"No we're not." I immediately defended, but from the looks on our friend's faces, they weren't believing a word of it.

"Seriously- hey! Cynyr!" Tidus exclaimed and I turned to him with widened eyes as he glared at me.

"What?" My voice rose with offense as he held a hand on the back of his head. I was about to say something else when I felt something cold hit me in the arm and I quickly got up and spun around.

"Hey! Who's doing that?"

Now, we had everyone's attention. It wasn't us. Someone or something was throwing snowballs at us, and they were in hiding, somewhere among the boulders.

"Be on your guard." Auron growled from beside us suddenly. I jumped a little, not expecting him to be standing so close. When I looked I noticed he had his sword drawn, adn the others were also withdrawing theirs. I, too, began to withdraw my own, and we searched the mountain peaks around us warily.

"Wait. Where's Kimahri?" Rikku suddenly asked and we all seemed to be thinking the same thing as we all exchanged skeptical glances with one another then, looked back up at the boulders.

"Kimahri!" Auron shouted, not quite believing it could be the mighty Ronso, but Kimahri didn't answer. Only silence answered us, besides the echo of Auron's voice.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen him in a while." Yuna said slowly as we looked cautiously around us.

"I can't believe that it would be Kimahri." Lulu remarked. Then, at that moment, snowballs came raining down on us, followed by laughter from the cliffs.

"Whoa!"

"Hey!"

"What's going on?"

Everyone began shielding themselves as we looked up and around us, trying to figure out where all the snowballs were coming from. The laughter was coming from many, and it wasn't a Ronso laugh. No, this reminded me of several, maybe dozens, of kids laughing and snickering as they did something they weren't suppose to.

"Kimahri!" Yuna suddenly shouted, and we all looked in the direction she was now pointing. There, the blue Ronso was crouched upon a boulder, and he quickly descended them as he approached us quickly.

"TROLLS!" He boomed, and at that moment, as Kimahri crashed down beside us, dozens of laughing and snickering Trolls came out of hiding and began to decend the mountain's boulders.

"I know these creatures!" I exclaimed as I held my sword out before me, glaring at one that was fast approaching us.

"Be careful around these!" Auron exclaimed as he lifted his sword up as well.

"They're bite is poisonous!" Tidus added, and all three of us ran forward as we attacked several of the Trolls that came snarling and clawing at us.

"Protect Yuna!" Kimahri shouted from behind me, and I assumed Wakka and Lulu were staying close beside her as the rest of us fought of the dozen of annoying, laughing Trolls. Every so often a snowball would come flying towards us, smashing against our legs, arms or, sometimes, our faces.

"How many are there?" I shouted with frustration as one Troll continued to dodge my blows and taunt me. Two others found this funny and began to join in.

"Oh, you little freaks!" I hissed, swinging my sword horizontally that caused the three of them to be cut in half and fall to the ground. Then, they slowly became pyerflies and I moved on to the next set.

"There must be hundreds of them!" Tidus exclaimed.

"Fire in the hole!" Rikku suddenly shouted, and all of us immediately ran for cover, away from where she had thrown the grenade at a group of Trolls. They were prancing about at the base of some boulders, and as soon as the grenade hit the ground, there was a loud explosion that caused every hand to come up and cover their ears.

I was crouched behind a boulder with Kimahri who had suddenly wrapped a large arm around me protectively. I looked up after the explosion and nodded my thanks to him before to two of us stood and, along with the others, began to fight off the rest of the remaining Trolls.

A good thirty minutes passed before all the Trolls were finally defeated and the snowballs subsided. All was quiet as we took a few minutes to rest.

"Geez, that was a lot of Trolls." Tidus breathed as he flopped down on the ground. We were all resting easy and about to get going again when we suddenly heard a far away rumble somewhere off in the distance. We immediately jumped to our feet and stood at attention as we looked for the source of the noise.

As every second passed, the thundering sound got louder and louder.

"Trolls?" Rikku asked meekly.

"No. This is much bigger than that." Lulu replied as she stood up at the front. Wakka took a nervous step forward, everyone's eyes drifting to the tallest and steepest snow covered peak before us.

Birds and fiends suddenly flew up into the sky, crying out loudly as other animals and fiends scurried off the mountain top and down the cliffs.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Tidus exclaimed as several fiends ran past us, not bothering to even attack us as the thundering got louder and even began to shake the ground beneath us.

Suddenly, as we looked much closer, we realized at the very top of the mountain, the snow covered ground was moving rapidly. It was like something large was crawling underneath the sheets of snow, causing it all it move down hill.

That's when it hit me.

"Avalanche!" I shouted and turned quickly as I began to flee down the side of the trail, another steep hill in which was just as slippery as the trail behind me.

Everyone else cried out as they also realized what it was and began to follow suit. Soon after, we all began tumbling down the hill upon the icy ground, unable to get any friction between us as we continued to slide all the way down to the the while, the Avalanche was already making its way to the bottom of the mountain to leap over the trail and down the other hill we now slid upon.

"It's gaining on us!" Rikku shouted from somewhere near by, but I could barely see anything as snow continued to spray up into my face. It seemed like forever that we slid down the hill, the thundering Avalanche quickly picking up speed from behind us before we ever got close to hitting the bottom.

Once we _did _reach the bottom, we stood up as quickly as we cold, most of us unable to as we were still dizzy from the ride down. We looked up and saw the Avalanche tumbling down like a giant wave of snow, coming closer and closer as we tried to pick ourselves up and run again.

"Shit! We're in a lot of Shit!" Tidus suddenly exclaimed from behind me. We barely got ten yards away from the Avalanche when it suddenly began to cover us.

"Yuna!" Someone shouted.

"Protect her, Lulu!"

"Help!"

All of a sudden, I was barried in feet of cold snow, all of it continuing to pile up on me, just when I thought it would all be over, but it just kept coming down.

It quickly became darker and I immediately began to claw my way through the snow, hoping to reach the sunlight above.

_No, no, no! Yuna! Where's Yuna? I can't die. WE can't die. We have to save Yuna! _I thought in a panic as I continued to claw through the snow. The muffled voices from the others were quickly fading, and I realized it wasn't because I was passing out, but the snow was still piling up on us.

_There's so much! How in the world will we survive? _

It was becoming harder to breath now, and it was pitch dark where I was, no sound at all could be heard and I was slowly panicking.

I spit the snow out that was in my mouth and tried to make a little hollow for my head so my face wasn't directly in the snow. Frost bite would come quickly if I didn't get out of there fast. My fingers were freezing underneath my leather gloves, my throat was stinging and my lungs were barely getting enough oxygen.

_I half to live! _I thought frantically as I continued to try and claw my way out of the snow, but it was like it never ended, and it was still just as dark and still just as quiet as before.

_Mom! Where do I go? What should I do? Am I going to die already? _

I got no answer, and I slowly stopped trying, falling back in my small hollow of snow, the ceiling caving in a little as snow fell upon my body and I shivered violently.

I couldn't move. The snow had surrounded me and all was deathly quiet and dark. It was like I was in grave, and I realized…this was the end.

* * *

><p>"Cynyr! Cynyr!"<p>

_Someone's…calling my name? _

"Cynyr! Are you alright!"

"_Is_ she okay?"

"Hurry up, Kimahri!"

_What's going on? Why is it so cold? I can't…feel anything. Did I die? _

"Is Yuna okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Lets hurry and get Cynyr to her."

"Is Yuna even strong enough?"

"She wasn't hit…Lulu cast a force field around them when the Avalanche came down."

_Ida…am I dead? I feel…dead. I don't feel alive. What's going on? _

I heard murmuring and several other voices, but I couldn't make out the words very well. They were too far away and I was slowly losing concisnous again.

"Can she breath? Is she breathing?"

"Yes. But Cynyr is very cold." That was Kimahri's voice no doubt. I recognized it immediately, just before I finally fell away into darkness and silence again.

_ "How'd you like that Avalanche?"_

_ "What?"_

_ "You heard me."_

_ "Shadow…that was you!"_

_ "But of course. I thought it was pretty clever."_

_ "You killed me!"_

_ "Ha! I wish I had! I almost had you! I was so close to grasping your soul when something like a force field stopped me from getting an closer! You wretched bird! I WILL kill you! I WILL have your soul!"_

_ "You mean…I'm not dead?"_

_ "Fool! How many times do I have to say it! Now you're just rubbing it in!"_

I woke with a start, my eyes snapping open as I felt my heart inside my chest thump hard against my ribs. It was cold and dark, but there was something warm close by, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

Looking up at my ceiling, I noticed how dark and rough looking it was. As I looked harder it seemed to look more and more like rocks.

_Where am I? Where is everyone? I remember that there was an Avalanche…and then…_ I gasped suddenly and sat up quickly.

"Shadow." I whispered to myself, then jumped when I felt someone grab hold of my shoulder and I looked to find Auron's face very close to mine.

"Lay. Down." He ordered under his breath, and I stared at him for several seconds in fright before slowly lowering myself down. Auron, on the other hand, sat where he was, looking at me and even seemed to be glaring at me. I couldn't really tell, though, because of the shadows that were cast on his face, an orange glow coming from the left of him.

_A fire? So that's where the warmth was coming from. _

"What?"

"A lot of us almost died today." Auron replied, surprising me a little from how quickly he responded. Usually he would just ignore me.

"Everyone?"

"Lulu, Yuna, and Kimahri might have been the only ones to survive that Avalanche if things didn't turn out like it had."

"What…exactly happened?" I asked slowly as I continued to lay there on the ground, afraid to sit up and be pushed down _forcefully_ by Auron.

"Lulu held a force field over Yuna and herself to protect her. Kimahri, being a Ronso, was able to survive the Avalanche. He dug out the rest of us as quickly as he could. Lulu helped as much as she could afterwards…" He trailed off as he looked off in another direction and I had the urge to sit up, but decided against it.

"Rikku. Something happened to her, didn't it?" I asked finally. It was so obvious…she was the smallest of the group with fewer clothes on than the rest of us. It wouldn't surprise me if she lost her hands and feet from frost bite. I knew we all, who had been covered, were in that snow for a long time.

_What if…we can't continue the Pilgrimage? _

"Rikku's got frost bite. But it's not too serious. Surprisingly." Auron replied finally, and I let go of a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.

"And the others?"

"They're holding on their own." I nodded and there was silence between us. Again, I had the urge to sit up, and with Auron looking away I thought I might be able to do so quietly.

So, I slowly sat up and looked around me at the others who were mostly asleep. Yuna and Lulu, however, were tending to Rikku who was wrapped in a blanket and shivering near the fire. The two women were sitting close to her, trying to keep her warm.

_Shadow. You're going to die for what you did to us! _

"What about you?" I asked suddenly, and Auron turned to me with slight surprise. I didn't meet his eyes though, I looked down at my hands which were, thankfully, still covered by the leather gloves. But inside they felt cold and stiff.

"I'm fine." Auron's deep voice replied and I nodded. It was to be expected. He was dead. He didn't have to die -if that were the case- again so there was really no need to ask, but for some reason,_ I_ had to ask.

"You should get some sleep. We won't be leaving for another day or two." Auron explained as he continued to look into the flames of the fire. I watched as the shadows danced across his face, not really listening.

"Not until Rikku's healthier." He added, and I nodded before slowly lying back down. It was rough having to wear my armor while I slept, and I could really use a good nights sleep, but I couldn't take a chance. If I were to take it off for the night, I might not be the first to wake to quickly hide my wings.

At this thought, I was suddenly reminded of that haunting dream I had had in the Calm Lands. I had woken to find feathers everywhere and my armor tossed aside as my wings lie beside me in the open.

I shivered from the thought and curled up on the cold rough floor, closing my eyes as I tried to find sleep. Suddenly, I felt something warm and soft lay over me, the familiar smell of spices and silk filling my nose. I immediately opened my eyes to see a dark red fabric in front of my face.

_That's…Auron's jacket. _

Slowly, I turned my head to look over at Auron, but he had most of his back to me, his eyes on the fire as he sat there stiff as a board as always. I couldn't take my eyes off him though. It was the first time I had ever seen him without his jacket on, so, naturally, I stared at his muscular arms that looked unbelievably ripped and strong.

_So that's how he can hold that badass sword. _

I smiled to myself at this thought and slowly laid myself back down to sleep.

"Thanks Auron."

I heard Auron shift a little as I assumed he was looking at me now, but I just smiled and hugged his jacket closer to me, drifting back to sleep within seconds.

Some how I had woken early in the morning and when I got a good look around I finally recognized my surrounding to be the inside of another cave. The fire was still going, Kimahri being the one to tend to it, and I also realized that Auron's jacket was still wrapped around me. Speaking of which, I looked to my right and found him sound asleep on the ground next to me.

_He looks so peaceful…sleeping there. _

I bit my lip as I quickly turned away from him and looked around at the others. They too were sound asleep, none of them stirring as the early morning wore on.

_ That's right. We won't be traveling for another day or two. _I thought to myself as I slowly laid myself back down. I decided more sleep would come in handy, and I might not get another chance like this for a long time.

Once I was asleep again, it felt like I had slept forever when I finally awoke, but I couldn't remember any of my dreams. In fact, I began to wonder if I had dreamed at all.

_Ugh…what time is it? _

I looked around me curiously as I sat up and I realized Kimahri wasn't the only one up now. Both Wakka, Tidus and Auron were also awake. The other girls were sleeping soundly beside Rikku as they tried to keep her extra warm.

_I hope she's doing okay. _

Auron was sitting closer to the fire now, a few feet away from me, and all was silent in the cave as I decided to sit closer to the fire as well. Still, no one spoke. Not even so much as a "good morning" from Tidus or Wakka. I guessed they were still pretty tired and worn down from the Avalanche and all the fighting we had done yesterday.

I brought my knees up to my chest and rested my head on them as I stared into the fire, completely awake, yet so…brain dead. I felt like a zombie, unable to think clearly and unable to really speak. I just didn't have the energy.

I looked up and outside of the cave and had to squint against the bright light that reflected off the pure white snow. It looked absolutely freezing out there, yet welcoming at the same time. Finally, turning back to the fire, I spoke up first.

"Anyone know how Rikku's doing?" Wakka and Tidus looked up from their brain dozing and each glanced over at Rikku before Tidus replied first.

"Well, she seems to be doing better."

"We won't really know until she wakes up, ya." Wakka replied with a shrug, throwing in a stick into the flames.

"Where did the wood come from?" I asked suddenly, and they looked up at Kimahri as Wakka replied.

"Kimahri was able to scavenge some while he was up in the peaks yesterday." I nodded slowly, listening to the rest of the silence when I felt my stomach rumble.

_Darn I'm hungry. I guess I have a bit of some dried meat left somewhere… _

At this thought I reached down by my hip and opened up my satchel. I searched through its contents until finally coming across some meat. I took it out and began to chew on the boring stuff. Oh, how I longed for real food.

_I can't even remember the last time I ever ate real food. _

As I sat chewing on the meat, savoring it the best I could, I saw something move in my peripheral vision. I paused a moment before slowly looking in the general direction I had seen the movement, but there was nothing there.

I looked a bit longer, searching the cave's ceilings and walls before finally turning back to the fire, mentally shrugging to myself. Tidus was saying something to Wakka, but they were just murmurs to me as I tuned them out and listened for any unusual sounds.

_I feel as though…I'm being watched. _

I heard Auron say something beside me, his deep voice rumbling from his throat, but my eyes barely glanced his way before I saw something move again. This time I saw it. A shadow. Dark and inky as it slithered across the cave's floor. As dark as it was inside the cave, I was surprised how I could see anything much darker. Especially a shadow.

My eyes immediately went to the opening of the cave, thinking that someone or something might be there, but I saw nothing there and I looked back over at the shadow that continued to creep its way inside. It was slithering in the direction of Tidus and Wakka.

_ What's going on? Don't they see that? _

I looked up at the others, but they were still talking, completely oblivious to the shadow that slithered closer and closer to them. It even began to get larger and more definite. It grew into a large hand as it completely passed Wakka and Tidus, long bony fingers growing from the stump of the hand.

_ Why can't they see it! It's right in front of them! _

I looked back out of the cave in case I might have been mistaken and there really was something out there. But there wasn't. Just snow and ice. That's when I realized this was much more serious. That shadow was a _thing. _

I looked back up at the others, looking at their faces, their faces that portrayed no suspicion. I was beginning to think I was going crazy, deprived from so much food and water that I was beginning to see things.

I looked back over at the shadow, watching it now, waiting to see what was going to happen next. All the while I continued to think that it was all just an illusion. A trick of my mind. _Was _my mind playing tricks on me? I was so sure it was until the hand suddenly grasped the blanket that was around Rikku's body and began to _pull _the sheet down.

_ That's really there! _

I thought in a panic, goose bumps rising on my arms as I abruptly stood up from where I sat, the jacket falling from my shoulders to gather at my feet behind me. All at once, my friends stopped and turned to me curiously.

"Cynyr?" Tidus asked first, but I didn't answer him, my eyes were completely glued to the hand that was slowly pulling the blanket away from Rikku's body.

"You okay, there?" Wakka was asking slowly, but I ignored him. Suddenly, the fingers reached towards Rikku's peaceful face, grasping her tightly in its grip and she began to slowly wake from the sudden action. My eyes widened and I withdrew my sword, crying out Rikku's name as I took a step forward.

"Hey!"

"Cynyr!"

"Stop her!"

I ran forwards, everything happening all at once as Tidus and Wakka jumped up and out of my way while strong hands grabbed hold of me from behind. I had my sword raised, my face contorted into anger as I aimed for the hand that was _crushing _Rikku's face.

Out of no where I suddenly heard a deep and dark laugh that seemed to echo throughout the cave, causing chills to run through my spine. The anger inside me grew and I felt the odd sensation of energy burning inside my soul. The very power inside me was about to erupt and I was gripping my sword more fiercely, just as Auron's grip on me began to loosen.

_Shadow! You're dead!_

* * *

><p>Mwahahaha! How's THAT for a cliffhanger! Bahaha I'm so clever and evil! :)<p>

You know, while I was writing this, I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to think of a good cliffhanger for you guys. But, then it came to me. :) Just like always, my cleverness never fails me. -sigh- Okay, I should probably shut up now if I don't want to get the big head...

Sooooo, how'd you like it? Please tell me if you liked it or not, and give me some comments, advise, tips, whatever you like. I'll take it happily. :) Thank you for your patience and for your time to read this.

**REVIEW! Please and thank you. ^-^**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X. Only my characters and ideas...**

**PLEASE READ and REVIEW!**

This isn't a new chapter obviously, I just changed a few things towards the end. I'll be working on this story again soon people, so don't worry to badly. :)

**Read and REVIEW! **

* * *

><p><strong>The Prank<strong>

_Clang! _The sound of metal against metal rang through the cave and probably shook the ground a little from the force that was behind both swords.

There I stood with wide eyes and clenched fists around my sword as Auron's sword collided with mine and we looked at one another, daring the other to make another move. Then, I remembered Rikku and quickly glanced over at her. To my surprise, the shadow was gone and she was no longer struggling, but she _was _waking up now, but I guessed it was mostly from the sound of our blades clashing.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Auron said low under his breath and I stared back up at him with the same wide eyes. Now, I was confused, bewildered, and above all, afraid. And I'm sure the others were feeling the same thing.

_What's going on! I saw it! It was there! _

I sensed the other two, Tidus and Wakka, close behind me as I'm sure they were unsure of what all was going on. I realized, as I looked at it from their perspective, it looked as though I were trying to _kill _Rikku. Panic rose up inside me and I slowly lowered my sword from Auron's and put it away.

"Cynyr…" Tidus began quietly from behind me.

"What's going on?" I caught my breath at the sound of Rikku's voice and we all turned to her now. She was sitting up and now looking at the two of us curiously. Then, she suddenly groaned and gave the two of us an annoyed look.

"Oh, come on! If you're going to fight again, do it outside, I'm trying to sleep here!" And with that, she plopped herself back down and was asleep almost immediately. Surprisingly, Yuna and Lulu hadn't awoken from the noise, so we decided it was safer to be quieter, just in case.

When Auron and the others finally turned back to me for an explanation, I found myself at a loss of words. I couldn't tell them the truth, because then they wouldn't believe me. If I didn't tell them, then what exactly was I suppose to say?

_Ugh! Shadow, you Bastard! You've set me up! _

"Explain. Now." Auron demanded suddenly, taking a step towards me as he continued to grip his sword tightly in his hand. I swallowed hard as I looked from Auron to the sleeping form of Rikku and then back up at him.

_If I don't say something...is he going to kill me? _

Finally, I sank to my knees and sighed heavily. Both Tidus and Wakka came to me immediately, kneeling down with worried yet questioning expressions.

"Are you alright?" Tidus asked first.

"Yeah…you kind of…" Wakka trailed off as he realized he didn't want to finish that sentence and I sat there staring at the ground as I tried to make sense of everything.

_One minute he was there and the next he was gone. _

"I'm really sorry you guys." I finally spoke, my voice soft and tired sounding. There was silence from the other three, neither of them either knowing what to say or simply because they were to scared and confused.

"I think…I need to take a walk."

As I got up, I looked once at Auron, who had a bit of a worried look in his eye, then turned and began to walk out of the cave. No one stopped me, no one said a word, and so I walked out into the bitter morning with an anger for Shadow inside the pit of my stomach.

The snow wasn't that deep where I walked, so I was able to walk through it was ease, walking as far away as I could away from the cave. That's when I came to a cliff, and I looked over it to see many other cliffs and dagger like rocks all scattered about. Off in the distance there were other tall peaks, covered in snow like powered sugar as the sun's rays shone on it brilliantly.

_The end is coming near. _I heard my mother whisper and I nodded slowly as I stared out at nothing, not really looking at my surroundings as I thought about her words. Oh, how true that was.

_Shadow is really eager for more souls… _I replied and Ida was silent as I took this as an agreement from her.

_You have to be so much more careful now. Especially around your friends. Just a few minutes ago, you almost failed. _

I sighed as I looked down at my feet in the snow, knowing I couldn't deny what she said.

_Yeah…I know. But…what if I hadn't done anything? Wouldn't Shadow have killed her right then and there? That would mean he could easily kill off my friends...one by one without me being able to do anything about it! What do I do? _

For a long time there was silence from Ida, and I began to worry that she had no answer for me. I worried that she might tell me something I didn't want to hear. I didn't want my friends to die…Rin's soul was already taken and I already had to save him. I didn't need a whole group to save as well, especially when I needed this certain group to help me through this.

_I know this is kind of risky…but it's the only thing I can think of. _Ida began, and I waited quietly and patiently for her to finish.

_But the next time that happens…do not hesitate to stand in his way. _I frowned at this, a little confused by her words as I tried to comprehend them correctly.

"Stand in his way? Wasn't I kind of already doing?" I asked aloud, forgetting she couldn't hear me.

_You'll be risking your life, but I think it's the only way to keep him away. As far as I can tell, some sort of shield has surrounded you and he can't come as close to you as he used to. _Ida explained and I slowly began to understand.

_That makes sense…he was saying something to me…in a dream I think…about a force field blocking his way to my soul during that Avalanche. _The image of that avalanche flashed through my mind and I suddenly shivered at the thought.

_Then, make use of that shield. You'll need it. _Ida suddenly said, then all was silent and I figured she had left and I now stood pondering in the snow about it all.

"Cynyr." I spun around as I heard my name called and relaxed a little when I saw Auron standing in the snow behind me, several feet away. I realized that he had that same worried expression on his face before and I bit my lip as I wondered if he was actually worried about me.

"Hey." I replied with a small smile, and he slowly but confidently began to approach me.

"Are you okay?" He asked suddenly, surprising me a little, but then I sighed and shrugged as I turned back around.

"I'm not sure anymore." There was a long silence that followed, and for a long time I thought Auron might just turn and leave me. Just like he'd always do.

"I don't know exactly what happened with you back there…but I'm sure you weren't trying to kill Rikku." I winced at Auron's words and nodded.

"I never meant any harm to her."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I…don't know." I replied softly.

"Liar." My heart sort of jumped when he said this and I slowly turned to him again.

"Either you're hallucinating or you really saw something back there." Auron finally said, and I blinked in surprise as I realized how close he was to the truth. Now, I debated on whether or not to say anything about it, but just in casse, I tried to see if there was another way out of the situation.

"Well…say if I had…trust me. Even if it seems hard to." I replied finally, turning away from him yet again when I suddenly felt his hand on my shoulder. I tensed a little, slightly worried about what he was about to do or say.

He walked up beside me and looked down at me, so I slowly met his one russet eye, waiting for him to say something. Then, to my surprise, he whispered the words I didn't think he'd say.

"I will always trust you." With that, he turned and left me alone to stand there and let his words sink in, his footsteps in the snow slowly growing softer as he walked farther and farther away from me.

_Great. Now, I feel bad. He doesn't know the whole truth and he TRUSTS me. Ugh…this sucks._

After returning to the cave, Tidus and Wakka didn't ask me any more questions, in fact, I'm sure they had just put it behind them. I know I did. Later on in the day Lulu and Yuna continued to tke care of Rikku, finding that she was doing a lot better, but she still needed some more rest.

"Then, we'll leave tomorrow." Auron announced after Rikku had fallen asleep.

"When do you think we'll reach Zanarkand?" Tidus asked and I suddenly remembered what I had heard about him. How he was some how connected with the once giant city. I began to wonder what Tidus's reaction would be once he saw the real thing.

"We'll get there when we get there." Auron replied gruffly.

"I'm thinking in a two days time…maybe three." Wakka shrugged as he looked over at Tidus and the blonde boy nodded slowly.

_ How could he possibly be from Zanarkand? But then...maybe there's more to it. _

Tidus then got up from where he sat and walked over to where Yuna was sitting. Just before he had gotten to her, he realized that Kimahri was watching him. Suspiciously. There seemed to be a challenging look in his golden eyes as he watched the young Blizter carefully.

A slow smile of amusement crossed my lips as I watched them, and as Tidus made eye contact with the Ronso, he slowly moved a step closer. Kimahri didn't even blink. So, Tidus took another step forward and now had Yuna's attention. She was curiously looking up at him and then over at Kimahri, wondering what was going on.

Tidsu took two more steps, at least three feet away from Yuna now and Kimahri _still_ didn't move. A little unsure and a little frustrated, Tidus finally turned to face him with crossed arms.

"Hey, Kimahri, what's the big idea?" Kimahri only smiled, a smile that I barely could catch, but it was there and I knew Tidus could see it.

"Come on, Kimahri," Yuna began with a light laugh as she looked up at the Ronso, "he's not going to harm me." Kimahri just gave a slight nod, but watched as Tidus finally sat down beside Yuna and sighed with some relief as he smiled up at Yuna.

With the cave mostly quiet, with only a few murmurs here and there from the others, I decided I would try to sleep some more. So, taking out my shawl, I placed it on the ground near the fire and lay down to sleep. It took a while for me to actually get there, but it felt as though it had been only a few minutes when I was suddenly awoken.

Someone was pulling on my hair.

This irritated me and I frowned in my sleep as I slowly began to open my eyes and look behind me at my disturber. They stopped pulling on my hair and when I looked I realized it was Tidus. I sighed heavily and turned away from him as I tried to go back to sleep, but then he was whispering in my ear.

"Hey, get up."

"Why?"

"Because you've been sleeping long enough…and I think we can try pulling that you-know-what on Auron." He whispered, causing me to slowly turn back to him. For several seconds we stared at one another and I realized the fire near by was throwing shadows on his face.

"Tidus…what time is it?" I finally asked, and he grinned suddenly.

"Late enough for everyone to still be asleep." I rolled my eyes with a small smile as I slowly and quietly got up from where I had lain. My back ached and felt sore from the sleep on the hard ground (especially with my armor on) and I stretched as I winced in slight pain.

"What were we suppose to do again?" I asked quietly, noticing the others were indeed all asleep around the fire. Looking towards the entrance of the cave, my eyes widened to find that it was dark out.

_ Did I sleep ALL day? For real? This isn't a joke? _

"Come on. Lets hurry."

"But…how late _is_ it? We have to make sure it actually works." I pointed out.

"Oh yeah…maybe we should wait a few more hours." Tidus said slowly and I raised a brow at this as I thought about going back to sleep.

"How late is it?" I repeated with a sigh.

"I'm guessing it's the middle of the night…around two in the morning." He shrugged and I sighed with a shake of my head.

"Well, then lets just sit and wait a while, I guess. I think it'll be worth it."

"Definitely." Tidus whispered with a grin, and I sat up, wrapping my shawl around my shoulders as a silence came over us and I tried to think of something to talk about.

Tidus, on the other hand, was looking over at Yuna, who was sleeping peacefully beside Lulu and Rikku. I slowly grinned as I watched his face soften and a small smile cross his lips before finally speaking while I nudging his arm.

"You like her don't you?" Tidus, a little startled, turned to me with a surprised look on his face. I smiled as I looked over at Yuna as well.

"She likes you too, you know." Before Tidus could reply, I continued.

"It's so obvious…it has been for a while now. You may think you've covered it up well, but we've all secretly noticed." I grinned as I looked back over at Tidus, but he was avoiding my eyes and seemed to have a bit of a pink color to his cheeks. And it wasn't from the cold either.

I began to laugh quietly at him and he quickly frowned as he turned to me, drawing his knees up as he rested his arms over them.

"Oh, yeah, well I think it's quite obvious that Auron and you have a thing going." I immediately stopped laughing and turned to him with surprise. Now, it was his turn to smirk and tease me.

"I've seen you guys. When you're together-it looks at though you two are happier when you're with each other. Everyone else notices too, so I'm not the only one their watching." Tidus grinned and I felt my face heat up.

"There's no way I like him. He's rude and mean." I blurted, turning away from him as I looked into the fire.

"Liar." I shot him a look but he just laughed. "Forget it, Cynyr, you can't fool anyone. You've liked him for a while now, and I'm pretty sure Auron's felt the same way too."

"Ha, yeah right…he's more like the type to stay away from love."

"Well, now, I used to think so too…until he met you I realized there really was a heart in that hard rock wall of him." At the sudden mention of heart, I recalled how Auron was an unsent and my face fell as I thought about how we could never even be together…even if it turned out that he _did_ like me back. And even in the end...it just wasn't going to work out.

"What is it?" Tidus asked and I quickly smiled and shook my head, realizing he was watching my face expressions.

"Oh…sorry. Nothing." He looked at me a bit longer, giving me a skeptical look, before finally believing me and looking over at the sleeping form of Auron.

"Um…how long have you guys noticed?" I asked slowly, a little nervous about asking. Tidus grinned as he sat there thinking for a few seconds and I began to worry that it had been known from the very beginning.

_Speaking of which…when did I actual start to fall for him? _Before I could actual think about it, Tidus had finally spoken.

"I think we started to think there was something there between you when…lets see," he paused a moment as he looked up at the ceiling in thought, "I'd say somewhere between Guadosalm and the Thunder Plains." My eyes widened at this and Tidus looked to see my reaction and began to laugh.

"That long ago!" I whispered loudly in disbelief and he nodded with a smile.

"I'd say so. That is, and speaking for myself, it looked more like you were interested in each other before you guys actually started showing signs of liking each other."

"That's when…I was blind…" I slowly replied and Tidus nodded.

"I think what really spoke to us all about it was when you almost drown in that lake." I raised a brow in slight surprise upon hearing this, curious to know more. He smiled at my face expression, knowing I did, and decided to continue.

"Yeah, he was really, really worried about you. I don't think I've ever seen him worry so much over another, especially over a girl, until now." He snorted at his own statement as he looked over again at the man that slept in his red jacket that was held tightly against his body.

"I've also noticed the way he looks at you…" he continued, "he's got a different look in his eye. Yuna's noticed it too." I bit my lip at this, remembering what she had said to me as well.

"I guess…I do kind of like him." I murmured as I looked down at the ground.

"And that's why were pulling this prank on him." Tidus suddenly replied as he stood up, and I looked up at him with a raised brow and a curious look on my face.

"Say what?"

"Well, you've got to flirt with him some how." He said with a shrug. "So, this would be a good start for you." He grinned down at me as I glared up at him, but he just chuckled and held his hand out to me. I reluctantly took it and he helped me to stand.

"Okay, lets get this party started." He joked quietly to himself, and we both walked towards the entrance of the cave. As we gathered the snow that we would need, making sure to work quietly, Tidus began to whisper to me.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I think you should steal his glasses one of these days." I stopped from shoveling up snow and gave him a weird look. He smirked as he looked back up at me.

"Just to see what he would do."

_Sorry to burst you're bubble, but I've already tried that. And it was working out okay until that fiend showed up. _As I thought this, the image of the two of us in the Calm Lands came to my mind. First, how I had taken his glasses and asked him to keep them off, then of how he ha tricked me into giving them back. Non-voluntarily, of course. Tidus suddenly looked at me expectantly and I finally shook my head.

"No. Sorry. That won't work." I continued with gathering up the snow and realized that now _he_ was giving me the weird look.

"Why not?"

"Because I've already tried."

"And?"

"A fiend showed up."

"Say what?" He gave me another weird look, but it was much stranger, and I smiled.

"Never mind. That was days ago and…there's not much to tell." I shrugged.

"I don't believe you." I just smirked as I began to walk away from him, back inside the cave with my snow.

"That's okay with me."

* * *

><p>Finally finished with our little "prank" we went back to sitting around the fire to talk a little more. But before long we decided it was better if we went to sleep so that it wouldn't seem suspicious if we stayed awake until everyone else awoke. So, we lay down near the fire, a smile on our faces as we thought about the reaction we would soon get from Auron when we all were getting ready to leave in the morning. It was sure to work.<p>

It felt like only five minutes had passed when we were woken again and Rikku was feeling a _whole_ lot better. She was back to her old self, asking questions, jumping around and just couldn't seem to stand still. For just a second, I was wishing she was still in that quiet state.

"It's too early!" Rikku suddenly complained as she looked outside and saw how dark it was. It had to be four to four thirty in the morning.

"We need an early start if we want to get to Zanarkand quicker." Auron replied as he reached for his boots. Tidus and I exchanged glances.

"Does that mean we'll be resting little along the road?" Tidus asked, causing Auron to look up at him.

"It's going to take, at the most, three days to get to Zanarkand, and we're going to need all the time we can get to perhaps make it in two." With that, he pulled on his first boot and both Tidus and I quickly looked away to try and keep a straight face. When we looked back, Auron was glaring at his boot as he took it off and slowly tilted it so that snow sludge fell from the inside of it and landed before him on the ground.

Now, everyone was looking at him with wide eyes and curious expressions. Tidus and I did as everyone else was doing. Not saying anything and looking on with shock. Only, ours was fake.

"Um…Sir Auron?" Yuna began quietly and Auron slowly reached for his other boot, not answering her. He didn't bother trying to put this one on. Instead, he turned that one upside down as well, and more sludge came pouring out. He sighed with exasperation and turned to Tidus first.

"What the hell, Auron! Again with the accusations?"

"I didn't say _anything, _Tidus."

"But you were _thinking _it." He exclaimed in a much higher voice, then he glanced over in my direction. I barely returned it as I soon found Auron glaring at me now.

"What?"

"I don't think I even have to ask." Auron began with a growl in his throat. "But I _will_ ask, yet _only_ once. Who. Did. This?"

"Maybe it wasn't anyone." I replied slowly and Tidus snorted at this.

"Really?" Auron began with a smirk and a glare. "Because these boots were sitting by me the entire night, so you can't say they might have gotten snow in them from being outside."

"He's got a point." Tidus said with his own smirk, and I shot him a look.

_You're on his side now-this was your idea too you know! _

"I wasn't going to say that." I replied to Auron and he stared at me for a long, _long_ time before finally speaking.

"You really _are _pushing your luck...Cynyr." And with that he began to go about trying to get as much snow out of his boots as he could while muttering under his breath. The rest of us were silent as Tidus and I exchanged worried glances.

Was he planning something? Or was he threatening me? It could be just a bluff, but how would I know? He was a very mysterious man and I had the feeling that I really _did _need to watch my back.

* * *

><p>Well, I had to change the ending of this chapter ya'll. Sorry if some of you actually liked the way it was going...but I didn't. It felt like it was dragging on to much and I needed to just continue the story. Too much add in's can bore people and I know I was bored. haha<p>

Anyway, hope you won't mind too much, but I've got a better alternative for this story. :)

PLEASE REVIEW!


	28. Chapter 28

**YAY! I finally got another chapter uploaded for you guys! Hope y'all enjoy it! I know it's probably not as exciting as I had hoped, but I made sure to leave a bit of a cliff hanger so you'll be ready for the real action next chapter.**

**Read and Review as always. :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Confession <strong>

As much as I was walking on thin ice with Auron we were all seemingly walking on something similar with Gagazet and the fiends. Although it was morning it seemed a little darker and gloomier than usual. The sky was cloudy and flakes of snow fell from the sky as the wind blew them around. Our lips were chapped and the wind stung our faces and caused us to walk closer to each other for warmth.

The fiends showed up every once in a while and I wondered if they were holding back only because of the cold. Still, it was dangerous grounds we were walking on and we weren't allowed to loose focus.

"We're getting so close…" I heard Rikku mutter to herself and for those of us who had heard her seemed to look at the same time in the same direction and think the same thing.

_We all wish Yuna didn't have to die, Rikku…but if you say there might be another way again…I'm going to kill you._

Despite what I thought I decided I would at least help think of something as well, but I wasn't getting much. It was hard to think in the cold while you were watching out for one another; always on guard, not having enough energy or time to think.

_If Shadow showed up around the right moment, we could push him into the fire and make him the sacrifice for the next Sin._ I thought with a small smile. Suddenly, Kimahri gave the warning from above on the rocks and we immediately took up our battle positions as he came pouncing down to guard Yuna alongside Lulu. It was the usual battle between the usual fiends.

A couple hours later we came up a hill and it flattened out, a cliff to the left of us as the tower of rocks covered in snow stood on the right of us. We were almost there. We would certainly get to Zanarkand by dusk now at the rate we were going. We were walking on ahead when I realized the footsteps of Rikku and Tidus suddenly stopped from behind me. I paused and looked over my shoulder to find the two of them talking. Tidus had his hands on his hips, like always, and Rikku had her head bowed. I decided I'd just keep walking but I'd keep an eye on them.

A shadow came over us as we entered another tunnel, but this one was larger and there seemed to be something ahead. I looked on with curiosity, wondering where we were headed when Lulu suddenly spoke up from beside me. I was too deep in thought to realize she had slowed her pace and was now walking beside me.

"What?" I finally asked.

"I asked where Tidus and Rikku were." Lulu repeated and I stopped to turn and she did as well.

"Oh, they're…talking. Probably about Zanarkand and Yuna…" I trailed off as I looked back and Lulu did the same.

"Rikku thinks she can come up with another way of defeating Sin. So Yuna doesn't have to die."

"Yeah. Tidus believes so too." I spoke quietly and we continued walking through the tunnel.

"If there was another way…" Lulu began and I looked back at her, "then wouldn't we have already been told about one?"

"Who knows. It just looks a little suspicious to me."

"I agree. You know-"

"Heeeeeyyyy!" Rikku's voice echoed loudly at us from behind and all of us immediately turned to her in surprise. She was running quickly and breathing heavily with a frightened look on her face.

"What is it, Rikku?" Yuna asked urgently.

"Fiends?" Wakka asked with a fist clenched.

"Much worse!" Rikku exclaimed as she stopped in front of Auron.

"It's that bastard, Seymour!" Auron frowned and the rest of us immediately began to run back through the tunnel where Tidus was. With Lulu and I in the front we heard everyone behind us withdraw their weapons. Lulu flicked her wrist and a flame of fire appeared in her palm. She was already fired up for the battle. I smiled a small smile to myself, but it was grim as I clenched the hilt of my sword and ran with all I had.

_What an annoyance! Can't he just die already and go to the Farplane! We've got better things to do! You know, like saving the WORLD!_

Just as we were approaching Tidus he was shouting something and then I caught sight of Seymour. He was standing with a smug look on his face and I wanted so badly to cut it off with my own sword.

"Leave some for Kimahri!" The blue Ronso charged forward with his spear ready and we all followed until we stopped beside Tidus who smiled triumphantly, but that soon disappeared as Seymour began to address Yuna.

"Lady Yuna," he said with a creepy smile, "it is a pleasure."

"Yuna!" That was all Lulu had to say and Yuna was on it, ready with her staff in her hand, about to send him off, only, he insisted on talking. Like always.

"A sending? So soon?"

_Ha! Someone's been losing count of how many times we've had to try to get rid of you! You're like a freaking cockroach! A very big and ugly, blue cockroach._

"Then allow me to say something to the last Ronso before I leave." Brows were immediately raised at this, surprise on everyone's face when he turned to Kimahri with a smug look on his face.

"Yours was…truly a gallant race." He chuckled, slight sarcasm in his voice. "They threw themselves at me, to bar my path. One…after another." He chuckled again as he said this, obviously enjoying the reaction he was getting from us. Especially Kimahri.

"No." Kimahri growled, tightening his hands around his lance as his face grew darker with a deeper glare.

"Kimahri." Yuna began softly, but Seymour interrupted her.

"You could end the suffering of this poor Ronso."

"I don't understand you!" Yuna exclaimed with frustration, clenched fists at her side as she glared up at him.

"Allow Kimahri to die and release him from his pain." Seymour explained as he turned and walked to the edge of the cliff, a strong wind blowing in more snowflakes into everyone's faces.

"Spira is a land of suffering and sorrow caught in a spiral of death. To destroy, to heal Spira, I will become Sin. Yes, with your help." He turned and faced the rest of us again but his eyes were glued to Yuna. For several seconds there was silence, then Seymour took a few steps towards her.

"Come with me, Yuna." Yuna glared at him from where she stood, but before she could say anything, Tidus jumped in front of her with his sword drawn and ready. Seymour smirked at him.

"When I become Sin, your father will be freed."

"Er, what?" I muttered in confusion, and looked around at the others, but everyone else seemed just as confused as I was. Except for Auron. Of course, he was always stone faced. Suddenly, Tidus growled with frustration and threw his head back.

"Argh! What do you know!" Then, he charged at Seymour, and as he did Seymour began to glow a bright blue then rose upward from the ground.

"Now he's going to transform again. Brilliant." I muttered to myself before all of us began running up to the front knowing full well that this would last a while.

"Your hope ends here!" Seymour's voice boomed, "and your meaningless existence with it!" I found this to be slightly funny because he was the one who was taking up space since he was already dead and now he had just transformed into a large monstrosity of a being that looked really ugly and dangerous.

First up, Tidus, Yuna, and Kimahri, and Tidus immediately cast Hastega on the three of them before going into battle.

"You have angered Kimahri!" The blue Ronso exclaimed. "The spirits of the Ronso will guide Kimahri's spear!" With that being said, he attacked first. Seymour was struck hard and he grunted in pain before giving his own attack. Then, Tidus went all Energy Rain on him, creating a huge explosion that hit Seymour every time.

Half way through the battle, Rikku, Lulu, and Wakka were up and Rikku stole an Elixer from Seymour, then (I absolutely loved Wakka for this) Wakka cast the Silent treatment on him.

_Wakka…I could hug you._

Seymour then Dispelled the three of them, missing Wakka and Rikku but hitting Lulu.

"Auron!" I heard Rikku shout, and she quickly switched with him and I watched as he began to attack first. He used Banishing Blade and I caught myself smiling as I watched him, then I quickly replaced it with a frown, turning that to Seymour as he then attacked Lulu after she'd just cast Firaga. She looked pretty bad out there, so called out to her as Seymour attempted to make his second attack and she quickly changed places with me, allowing Yuna to heal her.

I withdrew my blade and blocked the attack Seymour gave to all three of us just in time, then, I charged at him. I jumped into the frigged air and swung my sword hard and fast at his head three times, causing major damage that put a smile on my face. Landing back on the ground next to Auron, he gave his own attack before Wakka followed through.

"Die!" Seymour hissed with anger, casting Flare on all three of us. We were all hit and practically knocked off our feet, the fire on our skin burning for several seconds that seemed like hours and caused our energy to drain tremendously. I felt as though I could fall to my knees right then and there in the snow.

_Ugh…Seymour…you freak of nature!_

"Get out of the way! I'll summon!" We heard Yuna shout suddenly from behind, and at first we hesitated, then all turned and ran as Yuna came up to the front, a mean look on her face that I had never seen before. She was on fire! She quickly summoned Yojimbo, the symbol underneath her feet turning a fiery red as she held her staff before her, vertically, then swung it hard from her left to her right above her head and a shower of silver leaves came raining down.

At the bark of a large red dog we watched in awe as an enormous giant of a man in colorful armor came marching out. Yuna had him attack Seymour, but when Seymour came back at him his power was too great for the mighty samurai and it drained him of all his power, causing him to vanish from sight along with the his dog. So, Lulu, Auron, and Yuna tried again together.

Yuna dispelling him first, but Seymour suddenly came at them with Total Annihilation, firing one explosion after another at the three, five times, ten times- I lost count- then he rose upward and swooped down to give his final blow. My eyes widened at the sight of the explosion, and when the smoke cleared all three of them were hunched over in pain. Fortunately, Lulu and Yuna were still able to give each of them a mega-potion before going back into battle.

"When is he going to die already?" I heard Rikku say from beside me. I turned to her saw her crouched down, shivering in the cold with a frustrated look on her face. I sighed as I looked back at the battle at hand.

"I wish he'd leave now."

"Yuna and Lulu…they're holding up pretty good out there." Wakka commented as he got out his blitz ball, ready to called out if needed.

"I wish I could go out there and help." Tidus growled and I glanced over to see an annoyed look on his face. I couldn't help but smile. He wanted so badly to protect Yuna.

"Cynyr!" I looked up in surprise to find Yuna running back, so I quickly withdrew my sword and ran to the front beside Auron.

"We've weakened him a great deal, so it shouldn't be much longer." Auron said in a gruff voice. I nodded then turned back to Seymour with fiery eyes.

"Death awaits you!" He exclaimed as he got ready to attack us again.

"Sorry!" I shouted as I began to charge at him first. "But I've got things to do!" I struck him, catching him off guard and Auron ran up next to attack him while he was still in confusion.

"Cactus!" Lulu shouted, and she was soon upon him as well. About an hour later, closer to Seymour's defeat, Tidus had taken Auron's place and I took a step back, holding out my hand before me.

"Tidus? If you will?" He smirked at me, chuckled a little, then ran at Seymour and gave the final blow. An explosion followed and we watched as Seymour's transformed body shook in the air, colors flying and his body blowing up from the inside out. Then, a black cloud of smoke covered him before his soul transformed into tiny Pyerflies that dispersed up into the sky, leaving us all in silence. Finally.

"And stay up there!" Tidus shouted up into the sky.

"He'll be back." I sighed as I sheathed my sword then crossed my arms over my chest. Tidus turned to look over his shoulder at me, an annoyed look on his face.

"That's the last thing I want to hear right now." Tidus growled as he put away his own sword. I shrugged.

_Just stating facts._ I thought._ Or speaking your mind_. My mother corrected. I looked down and bit my lip as I realized she was right. Suddenly, I realized everyone was walking off now, back on the path we had begun on before Seymour had showed up. I quickly caught up with them, passing Yuna who seemed rather disturbed at the moment.

"He will become Sin…with my help." We slowed upon hearing these words come out of her mouth then stopped, but Auron was the first to turn and speak, hurriedly.

"Lies. Forget them." He sounded a little…nervous. I glanced his way then looked back at Yuna who had a very thoughtful look on her face.

"If he becomes Sin, Sir Jecht will be saved." This immediately got me to thinking too. Why had Seymour said that anyway? Unless…

"We're leaving." Auron quickly said, even more gruffly than before.

"You know something, tell me!" Yuna shouted bitterly at him. I adjusted my weight from one foot to the other as the air filled with suspense and tension. Everyone was completely silent now, all waiting for something to happen next. But Auron stayed silent; just as silent as all of us, obviously refusing to answer. Yuna saw this and ran up to Tidus with a determined and pleading look in her eyes. She was like a small child who couldn't get her way with one parent so she ran to the other.

"Tell me." She said a little softer than before. We were all looking at Tidus now as he avoided her gaze, a defeated look on his face as he seemed to think of how to say what he needed.

"Sin's…my old man." Tidus finally muttered, just loud enough for us to hear, and there was so much sorrow in his voice as he said it that it just crushed my heart. We all seemed quiet surprised even though it seemed we had a slight feeling about it. Nonetheless, Wakka questioned it.

"You hit your head?" He blurted, causing Tidus to become a little irritated.

"Sin is my old man! My old man become Sin. I don't know how or why he did it." Tidus paused as he looked up to the sky.

"I felt him…inside. And when I did…I knew it was true." Another pause before he quietly said, "my old man is Spira's suffering. Sorry." He looked so sad when he said this, and I almost wanted to hug him. But I held back, thinking that probably wouldn't be a good idea.

"Even…" Yuna began, "knowing that Sin is your father…still, you know! I must…"

"I know," Tidus said quickly, "let's get him. I think my old man would want that."

"You'd fight your own father?" Lulu said in surprise.

"Yeah, no problem there." Tidus replied with a bit of a snort.

"Uh, about your old man," Wakka began as he scratched the back of his head nervously, "you sure this isn't some kind of bad toxin dream…or something?"

_Of course…YOU would say that, Wakka._ I thought as I held back from rolling my eyes, but shifted my weight again. Tidus seemed to show a little of his annoyance with that question, and shook his head. Wakka slouched.

"Then…Chappu…" he trailed off as he turned his back to Tidus, "I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear nothing. I'm getting a little confused, ya?" He sighed. "Like, why dis all have to happen?"

"We'll learn when we arrive, soon enough." Auron spoke for the first time in a while then turned and began to leave. We soon followed in silence, all thinking about what Tidus had said and feeling a little sorry for him. Now, we came upon a rocky path that dropped off to our left and had a giant wall to our right, covered in a brilliant blue where underneath were hundreds of Fayth, trapped against the wall.

"Whoa!" Yuna gasped and we all looked around in the same awe. The ground was covered in the blue water like substance, strangely able to sustain our weight as Tidus carefully stepped out on it first, testing it. Then, to our left we saw a huge column of the blue stuff rising from the ground upward into the clouds above.

"W-what are those?" Wakka asked, referring to the Fayth stuck behind the blue glass.

"Those are Fayth." Yuna replied, then walked up to the wall and gasped as she seemed to recognize something. "A summoning! Somebody is using these Fayth!" She quickly turned back to us. "Someone is drawing energy from all of them."

_Who would do that?_ I thought with raised brows. _Sin maybe? Or, in other words, Yu Yevon?_

"This many!" Rikku was saying, and she looked around her at the Fayth with large green eyes.

"Who wields power on this scale?" Lulu practically demanded as she took a step towards the wall. "And what could they be calling?" No one had an answer. It was all a big mystery to all of us.

"Hey," Rikku said suddenly, and she ran over to Auron, "you know something, don't you? Spill the beans!" We all looked from Rikku to Auron curiously and suspiciously.

_It IS possible that he would know something. He said he'd been up here before with Jecht and Braska._

"Look not to others for knowledge. This is your journey too." He walked past Rikku and the rest of us to the head of the group, facing the path ahead.

"Yunie might die, you know?" Rikku whined

"No." Tidus began, turning to Rikku as he spoke. "Auron's right."

"Huh!" Rikku exclaimed in surprise, but we ignored her as we all looked over at Tidus.

"This is our-" he stopped suddenly and I raised a brow as he walked over and held a hand up to the wall of Fayth.

"This in _my_ story."

_Thanks._

Suddenly, he gasped, then stumbled backward and we all watched in surprise as he actually fell back, his eyes closed and he would not get up. Surprised, we all came to his attention.

"Tidus!" Yuna exclaimed first, rushing to him and trying to wake him as she touched his face, then shook his shoulders.

"Hey, what's gotten into you? Hey!" Wakka exclaimed as he ran over, standing next to Tidus as well and soon Lulu and Rikku and I were hovering above.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Rikku shouted urgently.

"Leave him." We all turned to the sound of Auron's voice and he was now facing us.

"He'll wake soon enough."

"But, what if it takes too long?" Rikku pointed out, but Auron ignored her and turned away again. I rolled my eyes and shrugged at Rikku who shrugged back, so we all reluctantly backed away. Everyone but Yuna. She refused to move, sitting beside him the whole time, looking at him with worry in her bi-colored eyes. I stood opposite wall, watching her and Tidus worriedly. Then, I glanced over at Auron. He was looking off into the distance, waiting, apparently, for Tidus to finally wake up.

_What's with him! He's so…distant and hurried._ I thought, finding myself suddenly worried about him too. Why am I worried so much? "It doesn't matter," was what I kept telling myself, but deep down, I knew it did.

Suddenly, Tidus got up with a gasp and we all turned to him in surprise. Yuna immediately shot up.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Hey! We were so worried about you!" Rikku exclaimed from where she sat. Tidus seemed a little disturbed and pre-occupied as he sat back down, looking at the ground thoughtfully.

"You okay?" Lulu asked as she took a step towards him.

"I-I'm okay." Tidus replied.

"What happened?" Yuna asked as she sat back down.

"I…blacked out…I was dreaming." Tidus began to explain slowly, "you called me…and I woke up." He didn't sound very convincing, but everyone else seem to buy it.

Tidus seemed to sense that he didn't sound very believable, so before anyone else could ask anything else, he stood up quickly and stretched.

"Nothing like a good nap! Well, I'm ready. Lets go!" Both Rikku and Yuna stood, nodding in agreement and we were all soon walking up the rocky path that wound around many columns of stone before finally coming up to the entrance of a cave. Inside it was dark and cold and was surely full of all the cave dwelling fiends deep inside. Then, for some reason, I got a gut feeling that I would meet up with my worst enemy again. Shadow. I had another feeling that it wasn't going to end well.

_Brace yourself_. Ida whispered in warning.

* * *

><p><strong>Ooooooo...what's going to happen in that big, dark, cold, scary cave! Lots and lots of action! :D And more cliff hangers and all that good stuff. :) By the way, if you notice any errors in my work, PLEASE let me know so I can fix them. I don't care what it is.<strong>

**Oh, and before I forget, I made a Poll so PLEASE check that out. It's important that you do. :)**

**REVIEW! Love y'all! 3 XD**


	29. Chapter 29

**READ! -First off, there is a poll. It wasn't showing up at first but I've fixed that. So that's open; please check that out. Plus, I made a forum for discussion in general about my story. discuss among yourselves about it or it can be a place to ask me or other people questions. :) **

**So, here's yet another chapter for the story. There is action. I just won't tell you when it will come up. Who knows...I might be lying and there really isn't anything special in this chapter, but then again...maybe there is. ;) **

**Guess you'll have to read to find out. Mawhahah! **

**PEACE!**

* * *

><p><strong>What Lurks in the Shadows<strong>

The sound of water dripping from the cave ceiling filled the place along with our echoing footsteps. As we walked deeper and deeper inside it grew darker and darker. Before long Lulu had flicked her wrist and created a fire in her palm, lighting our way as we continued to stay silent. As much as we hoped we wouldn't be heard by any fiends, they found us anyway.

In a matter of minutes a very enormous Dark Flan appeared before us, its large gaping mouth wide, revealing the black hole inside that seemed to go on forever.

"Dark Flan!" Lulu called out as she, Kimahri, and Wakka ran up to the front first. Rikku stood very close to me, watching with big green eyes.

"Wow!" She exclaimed, then abruptly got a funny look on her face, "Say, is that edible?" I snorted as I looked back up at the Dark Flan and placed a hand on the hilt of my sword, ready to go in when I was called.

"Wakka!" Lulu cried out and I watched as the red head jumped in front of Lulu like some kind of hero and throw his ball hard with a grunt at the Dark Flan. He had cast silent on him and now Kimahri was taking over. I dropped my hand from my hilt as a small smile crossed my lips. I knew I wouldn't be needed. The rest of us either for that matter. Only Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri were going to take this one down.

Minutes later, as the Pyerflies began to disperse into the air, Rikku began cheering and pumping her fist.

"Yeah! Great job, Wakka!" Half of myself expected that from her and the other half didn't, but perhaps things between them were finally beginning to pan out.

"Lu, are you okay?" Wakka asked then and Lulu smiled a small smile as she nodded.

"Well, lets get going!" Tidus exclaimed from farther inside the cave, and Lulu lit the fire in her hand and helped lead the way. We rounded corners and filed through smaller spaces when suddenly we came upon an underwater lake. The water was crystal clear and some of the rocks below were lit up in pinks, blues, and purples. Lulu immediately let the flame out seeing that there was enough light and we all stood around, looking into the water.

Wakka, Tidus, and Rikku walked up to the front first, examining the water thoughtfully before Wakka finally spoke.

"Looks like we got a job to do, ya?"

"If anything should happen in the water, we're relying on you three." Lulu pointed out and three of them turned to look at her. "If it gets too dangerous, pull out quick."

I was glad, for the moment, that I wasn't chosen to go into the water as well. They wore lighter clothing so it only made since for them to go. I could have simply taken my armor off but there was no way I'd do that. Exposing my wings at a time like this was not a good idea. It was by sheer luck that everyone was oblivious to me.

"Right!" Wakka replied.

"Be careful, okay?" Yuna was looking at Tidus, the message more to him than the other two. He turned to her with a small smile and a nod, then, he turned back to the water. Wakka and Rikku did the same and all three of them jumped in. We watched as they swam off, their weapons mostly weighing them down, but they were strong and would be able to clear the path up ahead for the rest of us. At least then when we were to all get into the water I wouldn't have to take my armor off.

Finally, I turned and walked away from the water's edge and went to sit down on a rock several feet away. Yuna watched me for a moment then began to walk in my direction. She then sat down beside and we smiled at one another, but for a while there was silence between us. Actually, the entire cave was silent except for the drips of water that could be heard throughout the cave, but it felt like we needed to whisper.

"Are you not afraid?" Yuna suddenly asked and I looked up at her in surprise. I wasn't sure what she was referring to. Afraid? Afraid of what?

"Of what?"

"The water." I glanced back over at the lake and shrugged as I thought about it.

"I don't think there's much of a reason to be." I paused as I thought more about it, wondering why she would ask that. Why _would_ I be afraid of the water? Then, it hit me. I turned back to her with a small smile.

"It's because the last time I was ever in water was when I was being attacked beneath the surface, right?" I asked and Yuna looked up but I didn't give her a chance to answer. "If I were still blind...I don't know...maybe I would be afraid, but because I can see and I have you guys, I have no need to be afraid." Yuna beamed at this with a small laugh of agreement.

"I agree with you." She began. "I feel that I have people I can count on as well." Her smile grew as she said this and she looked off in the distance with a dreamy look in her eye. I couldn't help but smile too as I could already guess what she was thinking about. More specifically, whom.

After another moment of peaceful silence between us, I spoke up again. "I'm going to help find a way too." I sighed as I folded and unfolded my hands across my knees looking down at them with a serious expression on my face. Yuna finally looked back at me and stared for a long time, her face also etched with a seriousness.

"Even though you're doing this for Spira…" I began again, "I feel that you don't deserve to die- heck nobody does _or _did!" I shrugged then finally met Yuna's bi-colored eyes. Her eyes were sad, despite the fact that she still had a slight smile on her face. I couldn't tell what she might have been thinking, but somewhere inside me I guessed she agreed with me a little bit.

She probably didn't want to say anything because she didn't want to sound selfish. I understood that, so instead of making her feel uncomfortable I decided to stay quiet and wait like everyone else for Tidus, Wakka, and Rikku to return. Hopefully it would be soon because I was becoming impatient as the minutes ticked away slower and slower.

Thirty-five minutes had passed and still they had not returned yet no seemed visibly worried about it. Then, an hour passed; we were all becoming a little impatient now. Finally, after fifteen minutes it was quite obvious that we were all very worried.

Yuna had long abandoned her sitting place on the rock and sat near the water's edge, watching for Tidus closely. Lulu had her arms crossed and sighed from time to time while Kimahri continued to look from the water to the opposite wall. Auron, of course, just stood calmly against one of the cave walls farther back.

I, on the other hand, had been worried and impatient way before anyone else. I had been pacing fifteen minutes earlier and continued to do so. I walked a great distance from the bank to the darkest place in the cave where little light came through. On my thirty-fifth round, as I was passing Auron on my way to the water again, he suddenly spoke.

"Stop pacing so much."

His voice gave away how irritated he was and I was a little surprised. For one, he had actually spoken and he had actually lasted this long in his frustration with me. Regardless, I stopped, sighed, then crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back against the wall beside him. He was just Mr. Cool Cucumber today!

"How are you so calm?" I asked finally, glancing up at him, but he did not look back.

"I am saving my energy for battle...not pacing relentlessly." He corrected and I immediately looked away, letting the silence take over again. He had a point, but it was a little too late for myself to be saving energy now. Instead, I began letting my mind wander like usual and it was then that I suddenly recalled the time in the cave after the avalanche on the mountain.

Shadow had been about to suck the life out of Rikku right in front of my eyes, invisible to the others. I bit my lip as I remembered how Auron had to step in and stop me in time while everyone else stared at me in shocked silence like I had just stripped naked in front of them.

_But what was I suppose to do? Let her die!_

The question that nagged at me the most though was what would have happened if Shadow had succeeded in taking Rikku's life.

_He's trying to make me look like the enemy…just so he can get his hands on me. Perhaps he'll even do it again. No. I KNOW he will._ I began to wonder if he was trying to get the others to turn on me so when I was broken and weak he'd come and suck my soul like he'd done to Rin.

What scared me was when he'd try to do that again. How would I know when he'd set me up again? What would I do if he tried to get one of the others? I couldn't just let him, otherwise, there would be suspicion and questions asked. I would be revealed, and just as Shadow would want, he'd wait for everyone to weaken me so he could take my power away. Just like that and I would be a regular human.

A dead one.

_Would Auron really let that happen? What about Yuna? Surely she would see that I couldn't be a threat. She told me herself that she felt like I was her big sister! And Tidus- well now he feels like a brother to me! He wouldn't abandon me either would he?_ Now I was chewing on my lip, my heart beating a little faster as I stressed over what might happen to me later on down the road.

_Calm yourself!_

My mother's voice startled me so much that I jumped a little, completely forgetting that Auron was standing right beside me. Embarrassed, I glanced over at him and he was now looking at me oddly, but before I could say anything to cover up my blunder Yuna suddenly called out from the water's edge.

"They're back, they're back!"

Immediately, I escaped to where Kimahri, Lulu, and Yuna were now gathered around three soaking wet warriors. They were all breathing heavily, Wakka being one of them to sit down to take a rest, and neither of them spoke until one of us prodded for answers.

"What happened in there?" Lulu asked worriedly.

"Are you alright?" Yuna sounded a little worried herself as she eyed Tidus up and down to make sure he wasn't missing an arm or leg.

"Yeah, we're fine." Tidus waved a hand as he too sat down and Rikku flopped down on her back beside him, exhausted.

"There was _a lot_ of water fiends down there, guys." Tidus began first after a while. Lulu and Yuna knelt down and began to heal them, giving some of the energy they had lost, back.

"After you've rested up we'll all go down together," Lulu began as she went to heal Wakka, "but don't be surprised if we find more fiends in the water or the ones on land."

"There won't be a lot will there?" Yuna asked suddenly. Lulu looked up at her then stood up before finally replying, "It depends."

"On what?" Tidus muttered under his breath. Yuna smiled and continued to sit beside him and he returned her smile. Then, he lifted a hand to her face and I noticed her face had gotten pink. Suddenly, there was a loud thud from beside Tidus and we all jumped and looked up in surprise. Towering above him stood Kimahri with his spear in his right hand, a warning look in his golden eyes. Tidus began to laugh nervously as he gave the Ronso a weak smile and I held back a laugh.

"The trails begin some time after the lake." Wakka began, breaking the awkward silence between Tidus and Kimahri.

"Yeah." Tidus agreed quickly, looking at Wakka now. The red head stood and stretched his arms then rolled back his shoulders a couple of times before letting out a heavy sigh. Then, he crossed his muscular arms over his chest and smiled. "Lets do this!"

"Alright!" Tidus exclaimed next, jumping to his feet. Then, the two of them jumped into the water with a huge splash, causing Yuna and Lulu to back away quickly; they were already swimming towards the tunnel ahead. Rikku jumped in next, then Yuna, Kimahri, Lulu, Auron, and finally me. I had already decided I would be the tail end of the train.

Surprisingly, as I swam behind the others, I didn't feel weighed down as much as I would have thought. Besides, not only did I have metal armor on and a sword on my back, I also had a pair of heavy wings folded up inside my armor. Without the wings, for any regular human it would be harder to swim in the water. However, because I was no regular human I swam just as fast as the others if not faster. Therefore, to keep anyone from getting suspicious, I slowed my pace, keeping just behind Lulu whose skirts were weighing her down.

So far, we hadn't seen any fiends, so it was looking like a pretty good start for us into the rest of the cave. Then, after about fifteen more minutes of swimming we finally made our way to a much shallower end of the lake where a set of stone stairs were waiting. Wakka and Tidus were the first, and they sloshed through the water noisily as they walked through the water to the stairs.

By the time we were all standing on solid ground we all seemed to notice at once how everyone's clothes stuck to them so tightly. Wakka and Tidus's eyes were obviously glued to Lulu. Daring a glance up at her, she looked like an angry wet cat ready to shred someone's skin. Yuna didn't look quite as bad as Lulu did, Rikku's shorts were more snug around her hips and rear, Kimahri _was_ a wet cat, Auron looked absolutely awesome dripping wet (for some reason all guys tended to look that way) and well, I wasn't completely sure what I looked like but I had a feeling everyone had already decided what I looked like.

_A sexy beast! Nah...probably not._

"Some of us might need to wring out our clothes before we continue." Rikku pointed out in a quite voice. We all silently agreed and awkwardly looked away from one another as most of us wrung out what we could from our clothing.

Ten minutes later we were walking on up the path through the cave and it became darker the farther we walked away from the lights underwater. I was walking beside Lulu and glanced over at her every once in a while, wondering when she'd start up some light for us. She was still miffed at the boys for looking at her so openly early. This kind of confused me though, because if you don't want anyone looking at you perhaps you shouldn't wear something so revealing. Then again, she could be slightly angry with herself for not realizing it sooner.

"Lulu, we could use some light right about now." Tidus said suddenly, but Lulu did not reply.

"Lu, it's getting dark!" Wakka added but it was (ironically) becoming _clear_ that she was ignoring them. I found this amusing.

"Wakka." Lulu said suddenly in a tight voice. "What causes a fire to go out?" Wakka was silent for a moment before replying, thinking carefully about his answer, obviously, because one wrong move with Lulu and you were dead.

"Uh…throwing water on it?"

"Precisely. And I am _quite_ drenched at the moment." Rikku and Tidus snorted with laughter and I heard Yuna muffle a giggle as Wakka went silent.

"Oh."

It seemed we'd all be in the dark for quite a while and because it would be more dangerous to be in a dark when fiends could hide from us more easily, we all became very, _very_ quite and a lot more cautious. That wasn't the only thing worrying us though.

If you have ever been inside a cave with no source of light (or blind) you would know how terrifying it can be. Even if you were to put your hand in front of your face, you could not see it. It felt like our eyes were forever searching for light, constantly moving inside our heads like they had a mind of their own.

All this reminded me of when I was blind, so my eyes seemed to adapt quicker to the darkness than the others, my eyes almost immediately minimizing their movement inside my skull on their own. This kind of surprised me, but it was like instinct. Regardless, I was still stumbling and bumping into walls, stalactites, and stalagmites like everyone else. This was obviously making it more difficult to be on our guard for fiends.

Finally, Auron stopped at the head of the group- or maybe it was Kimahri…in any case, someone at the front stopped causing everyone to bump into one another and stumble back. I think somebody even fell.

"Ouch!"

"Whoa!"

"What was that for!"

"Who stopped?" Tidus shouted this loudly and immediately received a, "shhh!" from Lulu. She had done it so loudly that it caused me to jump because I hadn't realized she was right behind me, but everyone had shut up.

"Listen, I know it's dark." Lulu began, "but I'll at least try to light a fire; my hands are still little damp." In silence we waited patiently for her to do so, and I took a few steps back in case I was too close to her.

I could hear her moving her wrist, but there wasn't even a spark and it was very tense and silent as we all seemed to hold our breath with hope. Then, we heard her take in a deep breath; she tried again.

"Lulu, don't tire yourself-" Wakka was immediately interrupted as a burst of flame cracked and flared before us in the palm of Lulu's hand. We all squinted in the light, shielding our eyes and turning away as our pupils shrank painfully so as not to take in all the light.

Suddenly, I felt something brush against me from behind and a hot breeze blew down my neck. I turned to see who it was and screamed when the light revealed to me who it was. There before me were large, long, sharp teeth dripping with saliva in the glowing light of the fire Lulu held in her hand. It's eyes were red and it growled loudly before snapping at me.

I gasped as I tried to jump out of the way and immediately felt someone grab my shoulders and pull me back just in time.

"Get out of way!" Wakka shouted to the rest of us and we began backing away quickly from the beast that came a step closer.

"Whoa!" Tidus exclaimed with surprise from behind him and it was then that I realized he had been the one to save me. Suddenly, Rikku shrieked and someone- I think it was Yuna- cried out to her.

"There's two of them!" Lulu shouted from the left of me. We began to stand closer together, forming a circle between the two beasts that towered over us, their jaws long and wide, their skin black and cracked. Then, without warning, a clawed hand came out from the darkness and swiped hard a fast in mine and Tidus's direction. We ducked, but felt the wind of it as it passed an inch over our heads. Tidus then immediately moved over to the left and I took a hesitant step to the right.

"Cynyr! Get back!" I heard Auron shout and I glanced over my shoulder at him before quickly running back to stand beside him. The two monsters growled low in their throats and one of them took a step towards us.

"What are they!" Yuna gasped out in horror.

"This is new to me!" Wakka grunted as he hurled his ball straight up at the head of the first just as Lulu cried out to him.

"Wait!" It was too late. The ball bounced off its scaly head and instead of harming the creature it seemed to only resist the attack. In fact, it looked as though it had barely noticed this hit.

"We don't know its weaknesses and what it can resist." Lulu explained as Wakka got his ball back.

"Then what do we do?" I asked as the one nearest to Auron and I seemed to be getting ready to attack us. We immediately braced ourselves to jump out of the way.

"This isn't good!" Tidus shouted as something behind the monster made a _whooshing_ sound and the ground suddenly shook as rocks from the ceiling began to fall and everyone began covering their head.

"Yo, it's got a tail!" Wakka pointed out.

"Yuna!" Kimahri's voice echoed loudly through the cave as he jumped in front of her just in time for a rock that came crashing down from above his head. At first, I thought he was going to let it hit him, but before it could he jerked his spear upward and thrust it through the rock, causing it to crumble and rain down like dust all around. Yuna breathed in with relief as she uncovered her head and looked up at the Ronso gratefully.

"Thank you Kimahri." Then, close to my ear I heard a deep whispering voice.

"Over here, Cynyr." I gasped and spun around, catching Auron off guard, who stood a foot away from me, as I held up my sword but saw only the scaly black fiend.

That was NOT Auron's voice.

"Cynyr." Auron was speaking to me, but I wasn't listening to him. The monster couldn't have spoken. Could it? Then, that's when I knew. I tightened my grip on my sword and grit my teeth as my brows furrowed and I glared up at the beast before me.

_Shadow._

Now, I knew his weakness, but if that was him in disguise, then who was the other beast? Without giving anyone warning I ran towards the monster in front of me, whom I assumed was Shadow, and jumped into the air with my sword high above my head. There were several shouts of disagreement and surprise from the others, but I swung at Shadow's head hard and jumped back in time for him to miss me with his own attack.

"Cynyr!" Several of my comrades exclaimed, but I was looking up at the face of the beast and was unpleasantly surprised to see that my sword hadn't even left a mark on the beast's face. I quickly became confused.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm and jerked me around. I gasped and came face to face with a very angry Auron.

"What is wrong with you?" He practically shouted, his grip on my arm tightening slightly. "Don't you realize you could have been killed?" Now I became angry and jerked my arm back as the others began to knit the circle we had made closer together in fear of being attacked by the beasts.

"I do." I retorted.

"Then why did you do it?" Auron questioned further.

"Guys, can we discuss this later?" Tidus asked, his voice rising from fear as he held his sword before him while staring up at the second beast. I glanced over at him and while doing so I caught sight of Rikku. She looked paler than usual and I realized she hadn't spoken for a long time.

"Is Rikku okay?" I asked Yuna. She looked from me to Rikku then immediately ran to her when seeing her face, Kimahri watching her carefully. Just as she had I suddenly heard Shadow's voice speak to me again.

"Are you going to stand there all day? Or do I need to kill you all at once?" It sounded as though it were coming from both of the beasts now and a shiver ran through my spine as I looked from one dark creature to the other.

_Which one is it?_ I thought with frustration. _He's controlling both of them, so he must be hiding inside one of the bodies._ With this idea in my head I also knew that attacking the other one wouldn't be a good idea because I was just yelled at for doing it once to the first one.

"It's almost like they're trying to force us into a corner…" I heard Lulu murmur.

"Maybe we should run?" Tidus suggested.

"No. We'd be risking to much!" Auron exclaimed as he took another step back and as we all moved away we were slowly getting closer to the cave wall behind us.

_He's closing in so he can make his move. No wonder he chose to show up now. We're in a cave with limited space! Ugh! I should have seen this coming!_

"Argh! We can't just stand here all night!" I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls loudly.

"We realize that." Lulu replied. "But attacking it with very little room to avoid its own attacks will increase our chances of being defeated."

_I also realize that, but Shadow must DIE!_

"Then what if we all attacked at once? We'll split up!" Tidus explained.

"I like that idea. Lets do that!" I said immediately and got my sword ready and paired off with Lulu, Auron, and Rikku while Wakka, Tidus, and Kimahri stood on the other side. Then we realized Yuna would be left unguarded.

"Wait." I began. "I'll stay with Yuna." No one argued and I quickly ran to her just as Tidus shouted loudly, "NOW!" I turned just in time to see all six of them run forward and attack the beasts. Yuna watched with wide fearful eyes, her hands clasped tightly together in front of her chest as she seemed to be holding her breath. I stood a little closer to her then we watched as all attacks failed and everyone was pushed back by some unseen force. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"What?" I whispered to myself, then heard the cruel laughter of Shadow loudly in my ears and it was my ears alone. Apparently he wasn't ready yet to reveal himself to the others. He had something better planned.

_I don't understand! Why isn't he being hit? It's like he's got some kind of force field around him._ Suddenly, something caught my eye, like a flash of light somewhere on the opposite wall between the two beasts, but when I looked again there was nothing.

"This isn't working!" Tidus shouted and I lost concentration as I looked over and saw my friends running back to reform the circle around Yuna and me.

"We have to think of something else, but we can't use up too much of our energy." Lulu pointed out.

_Think outside the box, Cynyr._ Ida whispered suddenly in my ear, but I became frustrated all over again.

_Think outside the box? What is that suppose to mean? There's nothing- I'm getting nothing! Shadow has created a stronger shield around him! He's too strong!_ Then I began to wonder if this was it. Was this the end and it was already too late? I just couldn't stand the thought of that.

_Think, Cynyr. OUTside the BOX!_ My mother emphasized on her words and I immediately caught on to what she wanted me to think about. I looked back up at the others then glanced over at the two fiends that were coming closer still, growling in their throats but barely making an attempt to attack. The wall behind us was three yards away and I could hear Shadow's laughter once more.

"Guys! One more time!" I quickly called out, walking up to the head of the circle.

"What?" Slowly, I was getting everyone's attention again. I walked past them to the front so they wouldn't be able to see my face and repeated myself.

"Again! All at once on the count of three!" I pulled out my sword and looked from one beast to the other.

"You got a plan?" Wakka asked, a little skeptical about it, but I smiled a small smile. "Yeah…yeah, you could say that."

"Stop fooling around, Cynyr!" Auron suddenly spoke up and I glanced over my shoulder at him.

"I'm not fooling around, Auron." I turned back to the beasts as the others went silent. "Just trust me!" Immediately, everyone dispersed into their groups again and I began to explain.

"On the count of three…run…but follow me no matter what!"

"Everyone?" Lulu asked.

"Yes." I grinned as I clenched my teeth and added, "and give it all you've got." Everyone took their stances. _You won't win, Cynyr._ I ignored Shadow's voice and everyone's eyes were soon on me. _Give up!_ I clenched my sword and began to count.

"One…"_ I will never give into you, Shadow!_ "Two…" _You cannot defeat me!_ "Three!" I ran forward first and even though I knew everyone was thinking I was crazy as they followed me, I knew they'd thank me later. We headed straight for the opening between the two beasts and I was the first to cut through.

Shadow's shield cracked beneath my blade as I struck hard, then one after another came the attacks of the others, shattering his shield. Although they couldn't see inside what they were attacking, I could, and it was sweet glory I was feeling a I watched and listened to Shadow scream in anger and agony.

"How dare you!" He shouted in anger. He was like a snail with a shell, a shell that was breaking and exposing his more vulnerable skin. "You wench!" He yelled, spitting my direction. I glowered at him as I took a step back and the others watched in awe as a shimmering light collapsed in front of the beasts and they dissolved before their eyes to the ground with it.

"You _will_ regret this, Cynyr. This isn't the end, yet!" Shadow growled in a dark voice, and he glared at me with burning red eyes before suddenly smiling an evil grin. He held out his hand and clutched it around something that suddenly appeared in his hands. I gasped and my eyes widened at the sight of Rin's face and neck. Shadow was choking him. Slowly.

"Don't forget what I have." He chuckled evilly and I clenched my teeth in anger, about to charge after him, but he suddenly laughed and disappeared from my sight along with Rin.

_He'll need to recharge his power, Cynyr_. Ida was saying. _And this time it will be much stronger than before._ My mother explained, but I found that hard to believe considering it had been so easy to defeat him with everyone pitching in.

_You wouldn't have been able to do that without the help of your friends._ Ida explained, already knowing my confusion.

_But you said I'll have to fight him alone at the end._ I pointed out. _You will. That's when you're greatest power can be released and only YOU can defeat him once and for all at that time. He has only been merely weakened tonight._

"Cynyr! How did you know?" I spun around to the sound of Tidus's voice and I realized everyone was staring at me.

"That force field…it was like it was hiding its illusion from destruction." Wakka added. I nodded slowly as I was already working out a lie in my head.

"Yeah…I don't know who was behind all that" I began, "…but I noticed a weak spot and went for it."

"It's a good thing you caught it!" Rikku pointed out and the others nodded in agreement, but Auron looked a bit unsure. He didn't comment or say anything, he just had an odd look on his face.

"Lets just get out of here now." Yuna sighed suddenly and we all looked to her and agreed with a few murmurs here and there before walking carefully and cautiously down through the rest of the cave. For once, I was glad to be faced with a regular fiend several minutes later.

* * *

><p><strong>Phew! This chapter took a lot of work! At least I got it all done for you! :) Any thanks or comments about it maybe? In...the...reviiiiiiews! :D Anyway, hope you enjoyed this and I'll be working on the next chapter. Don't forget to check out the poll and the new forum I made. :) Thanks! <strong>


	30. Chapter 30

**It came to my attention that there were some spelling mistakes in my last two chapters I posted up lately, so I went back in to fix those. Thank you Phoenix Ruari. :) I had thought I had caught every mistake but man alive! I can't believe how many times I mixed up the words "you're" and "your." haha**

**Anyway, here's Chapter Thirty and I have been working on Thirty-One, Thirty-Two, and Thirty-three these past few days and we are coming close to the end. :) I am SO excited about this! I can't wait to get results on what ya'll will think when we come to Chapter Thirty-Three. :) That won't be the last chapter but one of the most exciting ones. :) **

* * *

><p><strong>Real Thoughts<strong>

"I know what awaits up ahead." The sound of Auron's voice stopped us all and we immediately turned to him in question. We were no more than just a few yards away from the opening of the cave, our exit, our freedom from the awful damp, dark, and dangerous rock prison. What could be so important that couldn't wait until we got out of the smelly old cave?

"What are you saying?" Tidus asked with a hand on his hip. Auron looked over at him then looked around at the rest of us.

"I mean, what lies ahead."

"Just outside the cave?" Tidus continued to question. Auron's brows seemed to furrow slightly as he now turned his full attention on Tidus. The blonde was still standing there with his hand on his hip, a bit of an annoyed look on his face.

"Yes." Auron replied, quietly sighing to himself. He was obviously exhausted like the rest of us and was already becoming cranky with Tidus's idiotic questions and comments. Lulu seemed to sense this and quickly said, "lets go." She turned, her now dry skirts rustling behind her and her footsteps echoing all around the room. The sound was soon followed by the rest of our own footsteps.

_Ugh…what I wouldn't give for a really soft bed to lie upon right now._

"No one speak." Auron said immediately after exiting the cave. "Don't even make a sound."

I suddenly caught sight of Tidus, his arms frozen above his head in mid-stretch, his mouth opened like he was about to yawn. Loudly. I wanted to laugh so bad because clearly, Auron knew Tidus well enough to be prepared ahead of time. I was just glad he'd stopped him in time, because I didn't think any of us even wanted to hear all that racket he made.

Now I wondered what was going to attack us, and from where. Behind us was the cave, to our right was the giant side of a rocky mountain, a trail with a ledge leading down its side. In front of us was just the beginning looks of a cliff as well as on our left with the sun's setting rays of orange and red coloring the sky, and where we stood was in a wide open space of complete flat rock. The place was quiet. Too quiet.

In fact, it was the very clue that gave it away to all of us. Some kind of dangerous fiend who always lurked around the entrance of this side of the cave was just about to pounce. It was a good thing Auron had been up here before, otherwise, we would have never been able to deal with our first surprise attack from a gate keeper.

"It comes!" Auron shouted and we immediately withdrew our weapons when there was a thundering crash in front of us as the gate keeper, whom looked like a giant lizard, came down from the sky. The ground beneath our feet shuddered, causing us to stumble and catch ourselves before falling.

The gate keeper stood before us now and Auron was already running towards it. Quickly, Tidus and Yuna ran up to the front as well. Staring up at the keeper my eyes grew wide at the sight of it. The giant lizard had freaking wings that looked like colorful noodles! Never I had seen anything like it and deep down I hoped it would be the last.

Auron, Tidus, and Yuna took turns attacking the keeper and when it came to the lizard's turn, he suddenly straightened out his wings, vertically, and bright white beams of light shot out of every vein and zoomed down to explode before the three of my friends. I could hear them crying out in pain and I took a step forward but Lulu stopped me.

"Wait."

I glanced over at her. "Interfering might cause the keeper to become distracted and kill all of us at once." She explained. "That's not what we need. Only go when you're called out." Reluctantly I agreed and stood where I was. Meanwhile, I watched as each person healed one another and then began their attacks on the winged lizard again.

When it came to Tidus's turn he was obviously going to use one of his overdrives and Lulu suddenly moved away from where she stood, but I didn't bother to watch where she was going. Instead, I watched as Tidus ran towards the keeper and gave the beast at least six or eight blows with his sword, hard and fast. I hadn't seen this one before so I was quiet amazed, my eyes glued to him, but apparently he wasn't done yet.

Lulu suddenly walked past me and in her hand she held a blitz ball. Wakka's no doubt.

"Tidus!" She shouted and he gave her a nod before she threw it up into the air towards him. He immediately jumped high into the air and did a flip while kicking the ball hard down to the beast where it hit him square in the head. It was a fatal blow. I almost cheered…but didn't…because that would be weird.

Later on in the battle, Kimahri had taken Yuna's place, then Lulu took Tidus's. They all fought until they couldn't handle it and pulled out, replaced by Wakka, me- but Kimahri decided to stay as he had already healed himself and seemed stronger of the three of us.

I decided I'd go ahead and go first. I wanted to test my attacks with this gate keeper. So, I ran full speed towards the beast and lifted my sword. I jumped into the air, high above its head and held my sword in front of me with the tip pointing down. That's when I let gravity take over and I drove that sucker in as deep as it could go into the thick armor of the beast. As soon as damage was done and the cry of pain ripped through the air, I quickly jerked my sword out and jumped back to my place.

"Alright!" Wakka exclaimed from the other end. "Now, it's my turn!" He lifted his blitz ball above his head, ready to throw when Kimahri suddenly stepped up with his lance.

"Kimahri think it's his turn. Not Wakka's." Without giving Wakka a chance to argue or even throw his ball, Kimahri attacked the beast head on. A jab here, a slice there, and then another slice to its underbelly. Meanwhile, Wakka was staring at Kimahri in shock, his mouth hanging open while his shoulders were slumped.

I laughed. "What's wrong Wakka? Trying to catch flies?" I teased and immediately received a glare from Wakka as he quickly closed his mouth and growled.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny- Yo, Kimahri!" He shouted to the Ronso, just as he was running back to us and the keeper was about to make his first attack on us.

"You gotta leave some for me, ya!" He quickly blocked the lizard's attack in time and Kimahri did so as well. I, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. I was immediately struck and I felt the electrifying pain surge through my entire body before it quickly left me, but like a bad aftertaste, I recognized my legs, arms, and hands to be numb. Now, I could barely grasp my sword tight enough to fight.

_I can't believe I lost focus there! _I thought to myself in anger, then quickly healed my body. The battle continued, and several times we had to be called in _and _out. I could tell that everyone was starting to get exhausted again as time passed slowly for us. Even Kimahri was showing signs of fatigue. Just when I thought the battle might never end, Tidus took the final blow and the lizard looking gate keeper fell to the ground, a white light collapsing over it before it burst into Pyerflies that soon disappeared. Then, there was a peaceful silence.

"Hey, can't we rest a little?" Rikku gasped out quickly, looking around at everyone hopefully.

"No need." Auron replied. "We reach the summit soon." _Well, __THEN can we rest? _I thought to myself, kind of hoping along with Rikku when she had asked that. However, we really did need to keep going. It wasn't quite dark yet and we were almost there. Besides, resting near the cave wasn't such a good idea.

"I know." Rikku began again, her voice still showing hope. "That's why I want to rest a bit." She squatted down, her back to us as she seemed to be trying to look more fatigued. I could just picture her with her eyes squeezed tightly shut, her lips mouthing out the phrase over and over, "please, please, please."

"Soon means…there's not much time left." She was struggling to keep her voice steady and I felt bad for her. She wanted time to think.

"Rikku." Yuna took a step forward, calling to her gently, but Rikku wouldn't let her finish. She stood abruptly.

"Fine." She exclaimed in an annoyed and bummed out voice. "I'll think on the way."

With that, she sauntered off towards the trail first, the rest of us following soon after. I was walking behind Lulu and Wakka when I recognized the silence behind me and glanced over my shoulder. Wakka, Tidus, and Auron were still standing where we'd all been. Apparently they were speaking among themselves. I was curious to why and what, but I continued walking down the trail with everyone else instead.

Suddenly, we saw the first signs of the destroyed city, the top of a building, the beginning of Zanarkand. We all stared out at the rubble as we got a closer, then I heard footsteps from behind me and recognized them to be Auron's without having to look. He walked past me and on up to the front. As always. Then, we all stood still and gazed out at the city below, the sun's orange and fiery red colors illuminating the picture we were seeing. The place looked _so _ancient and mysterious. It even looked intimidating.

I suddenly glanced over at Rikku; she looked sad and angry and I switched my gaze to Yuna. I couldn't read what she might be thinking but I guessed she was thinking about what was in store for her ahead. She _wasn't _going back. She had made up her mind and there was no changing. Unless there really _was_ another way. Not only did I think about Yuna's death…but Auron's leave. He was, after all, an unsent. He'd have to leave this world at some point.

_He'll try to leave sometime after Sin is defeated, because then he will no longer have an excuse to stay. But that's where I come in. _I felt myself frowning a little, a face of determination, and I _was _determined. I could only hope I would get to him in time.

"Yuna," I looked up at the sound of Rikku's voice, "I say no." Everyone else remained silent, also knowing that Rikku wouldn't be able to change Yuna's mind. Still, Rikku was determined to try. "If you go down there, then…you'll…" She stopped and looked down with a sorrowful expression. Yuna took a few steps towards her and stopped, a small smile on her face.

"Rikku," she began softly, "you're a true friend, and I thank you, but…I must go…down to Zanarkand."

"I'm not saying we shouldn't go, but shouldn't we think about it some more?" Rikku then balled up her fists and her brows drew closer together as she suddenly became desperate. "There's gotta be some other way to save you Yuna!" I had been looking at the ground until this point, and I looked back up at the two girls, watching Yuna's face as she remained silent for several seconds.

"All my life," she began with a small shake of her head, "I knew this moment would come."

"Yunie!" Rikku cried out desperately, causing Yuna to feel sorry for her and run up to her to wrap her arms around her cousin, trying to make her feel a little better.

"Rikku…thank you for _everything._" Yuna pulled away a little to look at her but the blonde girl bowed her head and rested it against Yuna's shoulder.

"Don't say that, Yunie. It's not over yet." I was barely able to make this out, but I felt that if I continued to listen to this any more I might start crying.

_Jeez, lets just go and get this over with if we aren't going to think of another way and just complain about it! _Now the two of them seemed to be trying to talk a little softer, and I made sure _not _to listen. I turned away, leaning back against the rock wall behind me as I looked on up the trail, waiting to continue on down.

"Kimahri, lets go." I heard Yuna say at once, and I breathed out a sigh of relief quietly to myself. Everyone except Tidus now moved on down the trail. Looking back at him I noticed that he was looking at something that was on the ground, then I watched as he walked over and picked it up. This time, my curiosity had gotten the better of me, and with a glance behind my shoulder I walked over to where he stood. When he heard me coming he immediately looked up with a surprised look on his face.

"What's that?" I asked as I came closer, then recognized it to be a blue sphere. _Surely that couldn't have been here the whole time. _I thought. _We all walked up here and I know I didn't see that lying there. _

"It's uh..it's Yuna's…I think." Tidus said nervously. I glanced over my shoulder, the others already out of sight, then turned back to him.

"Do you think we should listen to it?" Tidus smiled a little, then went ahead and played it without saying so. We weren't sure what we were expecting, but what we heard wasn't expected for sure. First there was the sound of waves crashing on the shore, and then came the recognizable female voice.

"Sir Auron," Yuna began "it was you who told Kimahri. When my father wanted me taken from Bevelle to Besaid, it was you who told Kimahri, right?" Her voice seemed a little lighter, and then she continued and I could already picture her smiling as she spoke.

"I had always wanted to meet you someday. I am truly glad that I had that chance. Having you as guardian was so great an honor! I don't know how to thank you. Perhaps, if I defeat Sin, that will be my thanks to you. That's what I'll do."

"Yes. I will challenge Sin and _defeat _Sin. If you are all already watching this then Sin is already gone...and so am I, I suppose…" she suddenly chuckled to herself, "Anyway, I just wanted to say…I thank you." Then, throughout the rest of it, she began to address everyone else, telling them her thoughts. Kimahri, Lulu, and Wakka, and then when she came to me I was a little surprised at first about what she said.

"Cynyr, you are a wonderful person." I smiled a little at this. "You tend to make yourself look like you aren't bothered by a lot of things…but I see through that. I know you care and I feel like you've got a lot more to you than you let us see." _You bet I do. _I thought as I remembered my wings. "I still remember how we all first met you." Yuna was laughing now and I felt my face get hot as I remembered it too. Tidus immediately snorted and I punched him in the shoulder as I muttered, "shut up."

"I thought that you meant harm to Sir Auron, after all that Wakka had told me…but then I got to know you and that's when I knew you were serious about being a guardian. You protected me like..." she paused as she seemed to be searching for the right words, "like I was your own sister…that's why I feel like you _are_ my older sister, and I thank you." I smiled at this, biting my lip as I thought about all the times we had together on the Pilgrimage. That's when I felt a little more hope inside me, hope that she wouldn't just think that I was a threat to anyone if my wings happened to be exposed.

When Yuna finally began to talk about Tidus I felt the need to walk away. I wasn't completely sure what she'd say, but I knew it would be something only Tidus would want to hear. So, I walked off a little ways and stood waiting for him while watching the sky change to a dark blue above the colors of red and orange that began to disappear behind the horizon. It would be dark soon and I began to wonder if that meant we'd stop to rest for the night. A cool breeze blew by, blowing my hair back away from my face. Instinctively I held a hand up to catch them, ready to cover them back over my marks on my forehead.

_I hate that these were revealed in Gagazet…if only I had been more careful! _I thought, then I heard Tidus's footsteps and looked over to see him pocketing the sphere and walking towards me. I didn't say anything and neither did I, and silence remained between us for a long time.

"Maybe _you _should make a recording too." I looked up at him in surprise and he laughed.

"You know…for Auron." He winked and grinned at me and I immediately squinted up my eyes at him.

"You-" I shoved him and he laughed again as I walked a little faster, but he easily matched my pace.

"Still…aren't you going to tell him?"

"Tell who what?" I asked, trying to avoid the subject. Tidus snorted.

"You know very well who I mean!"

"Well, then what about _her!_ Aren't you ever going to tell _her?_" I retorted and Tidus immediately shut up.

"Well," he began, "I've been meaning too, I just-"

"Exactly." I interrupted. "So don't be pressuring me on something that you're having a hard time doing as well." Tidus sighed, seeing that I was right and continued to stay silent, then the trail suddenly turned and slopped down steeply. Beside us on each side were come crumbled buildings, but nothing more exciting. When we came to the bottom we made our way to a hill where all the others were standing, looking out at the city as the sky continued to get darker.

"We'll rest here for a little while." Auron said, turning away to walk past us. As he pasted me, he met my eyes and I felt my heart skip. Immediately I looked away and listened to him walk past the others, then heard Tidus sigh loudly.

"Finally!"

He stuck his sword in a little mound of dirst and Yuna set her staff beside his. Wakka tossed his ball over and then we all turned to where Auron was now sitting on the ground in a little space next to the hill. In the middle of it was a circle of ash and burnt wood, a fire that had once been there many years ago.

Later, we were all sitting around a newly lit fire and silence was upon us again as everyone seemed to be deep in thought. We all looked kind of bummed out too. I was sitting in between Kimahri and Rikku, drawing in the dirt beside me with a finger. I thought back to when Auron had looked at me earlier and I suddenly had a bad feeling that he suspected something.

Perhaps he didn't know what, only that he _knew_ I was hiding _something_. He knew something was up when I was out too late on that night in the Calm Lands, he didn't quite believe me when I told everyone the marks on my forehead were just birthmarks, he seemed suspicious when I was suddenly able to find a weak spot in the shield around the beasts inside the cave before anyone else, and I had a bad feeling that he would be the first to ask questions.

Abruptly, I stopped digging in the dirt and stared at the ground in realization.

_It's too late._ The fire popped loudly and I glanced up at it. I've_ already been cornered…it's no wonder Auron has been ignoring me…he's already suspected that something isn't quite right. What do I do? _My heart was already beating fast inside my chest and I began to break out in sweat. I licked my lips nervously, glancing up at the fire again and then around at the others. They were all sitting quite still.

_ What if Auron has told some of the others of his suspicion? How do I know all of them don't suspect something? _I glanced up at Auron now and I almost jumped when I saw that he was staring at me, his one brown eye locked with mine. It was like he was trying to read my mind or something. _Could the unsent do that? They're dead anyway…_

_ No, that's ridiculous, stop thinking that way! _I scolded myself, but Auron's gaze was steady and I had already looked away from him but could not fight the feeling of his eye burning into my skull. No longer able to take it, I jumped up abruptly and caused a few of my friends to look at me. Tidus was no longer in the group and I around, only to find him sitting up on the hill.

_ When did he get there? _It didn't matter. Instead of explaining where I was going, I turned and walked off. I wasn't sure where I was going exactly either, but I just needed to get far away from them, especially Auron.

"Alright…calm down, Cynyr." I whispered to myself as I walked farther away from the site. The cooler air gave me goosebumps along my arms and I immediately shivered a little. "I'm just…over reacting." However, if that were true, why couldn't I think of any other reason to why he was looking at me strangely.

"No, no…I refuse to believe he suspects me. I mean…he acts like he cares about me so much." I murmured. I was now walking a little slower and I headed towards what looked like a broken roof that had come off of a building. It was tilted in an upwards angle so I decided I'd sit inside it once I got to it.

"Maybe he was staring at me…because he was thinking. I know I sometimes think so deep I don't realize I'm looking at someone." I was a few yards away from the roof when I suddenly slowed and brought my brows together.

"Maybe it's all in my head- yes, he's not really ignoring me, I just think he is." Now, I stopped and another thought hit me. "What if…he's thinking about his time to leave too?" In any case, I was slightly a little more relieved that it wasn't because he suspected me. I was convinced. All of it was just over thinking.

I sighed with satisfaction and straightened up as I even smiled a little to myself. "Everything's fine."

I was wrong.

Someone from behind suddenly grabbed my arm and jerked me around. I gasped in surprise and went for my sword but stopped as I realized who stood in front of me.

"A-Auron!" I took a breath then licked at my lips. "What are you doing-"

"Don't play games with me." Auron interrupted in a harsh voice. I closed my mouth and swallowed hard as I stared up at him in surprise. Then, he took a moment to change his tone as he slowly let go of my arm.

"Where are you going?"

I shook my head, about to answer, but he wasn't done yet. "You leave a lot when we stop." Now he began to take steps towards me, causing me to take steps back like he was trying to intimidate me, but he didn't have to. I was already afraid.

"I'm not sure why, but I've gotten the feeling that you're hiding behind a mask." He said slowly and I stumbled when he said this. "Auron I-"

"You cover up too much." I suddenly felt my back against something smooth and hard and I Looked around before realizing it was the broken down roof I had seen earlier. Auron paused, then asked, "what are you hiding?"

"Nothing."

I had replied too quickly and had gotten an odd look from Auron. I swallowed hard. Auron searched my face with that one brown eye and I wondered what he was thinking. Suddenly, he lifted his hand to my face and my heart jumped in my chest as I held my breath. He touched me, then pulled back my hair to expose the markings on my forehead. A cold chill ran through my entire body, and I wanted to grab his hand and push it away, but for some reason I was frozen.

"What do these marks mean?"

_Leave. _I heard my mother say urgently and I immediately remembered that I had control of my body.

"They mean _nothing_, Auron." I snapped at him as I finally pushed his arm away, and he took a small step back. "I told you. They're birthmarks." I was glaring at him now, trying to make myself sound and look more believable. Then I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for him to say something, but he remained silent and still as the night.

"I only came out here to be alone." I added nervously. "I needed to think."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"You weren't planning on running off somewhere?" He stated more than questioned and I stopped, wondering what he meant by that.

"I've seen you go off by yourself…and you don't return for hours." I averted my eyes from him and he took that small step back so he was closer to me again, causing me to look up at him.

"So, I decided to wait before looking for you…" My eyes widened with fear and my heart began to beat faster and faster inside my chest.

_Cynyr! Leave! _

I wanted to do as Ida said, but I couldn't. I had to hear him say it. "I made sure I was far enough away from you so that you wouldn't notice." I swallowed again and clenched one of my fists as the suspense built up inside me.

"The next thing I new...you were gone." I let go of the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding and would have spoken but he quickly added, "where do you go that seems to be so important to you?"

I shook my head as I pushed past him. "That's none of your business." I was walking back towards camp now when I stopped suddenly at the sound of Auron's voice.

"You're a Guardian. We are suppose to _trust _you." I bit my lip then clenched my teeth as I felt my heart sink.

"And you can." I replied quietly, turning my head a little to the right for acknowledgement. Finally, Auron was silent and I took this as my leave. So, I walked back to the camp leaving Auron behind.

_ He can't trust me anymore...what do I do? _I thought with slumped shoulders. _Do not worry about him. _Ida began. _Your main concern is Shadow and Sin. _I nodded to myself in agreement.

_Guard Yuna…and yourself._

* * *

><p><strong>Another long chapter that was also hard to write and edit. But, I'm coming close to the end of this story so I'm motivated to continue. :) Hope ya'll liked it! Please review! :D<strong>


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey guys! I've got a new topic up on my forum. If you can't find my forum please let me know so I can look into it. This is my first time doing a forum so I would have no idea if you guys are seeing it or not. Any who, here's a new chapter, hope you enjoy. :) The next chapter will hopefully be up tomorrow so you can still be looking for that. :) I WILL defeat writers block! I will conquer it! haha :P  
><strong>

**By the way, I just want to thank all of my readers for supporting me through this, reading and reviewing. Even if you don't review, that's totally fine I still appreciate you coming to read my story. :) You guys have really helped me be more confident in expressing myself through my writing and being able to write to show it to those who enjoy it. :) THANK YOU! **

* * *

><p><strong>Surprises, Decisions, and Death<strong>

It wasn't long after Auron and I had returned to the camp that we were to leave and continue through Zanarkand's ruins. I couldn't see why we couldn't just sleep for the night and then leave in the morning, but apparently we really needed to get to Yunalesca _tonight_.

Along way, though, I kept a great distance from Auron. I didn't think he wanted to even look at me now as much as I didn't want to be walking near him after what happened earlier. He really hurt me when he said that about trust. It was almost like he was saying, "I don't trust you."

Just thinking about it made my heart break, so I quickly pushed it out of my mind and tried to keep it blank as I followed everyone and searched for any signs of fiends. A distraction would be the last thing I needed.

As we traveled through the ruins on the broken path we all noticed the Pyerflies, hundreds of them that floated around above our heads. It almost made Zanarkand look magical. It really was beautiful, but I wondered why there was so many of them. I mean, it practically looked like the Farplane.

Despite looks, several times we came up against some fiends, but fortunate for us, they weren't too difficult to get rid of. Then, before we knew it we had come to a giant dome building that had once had a dome shaped roof.

In front of the entrance way was an elderly man dressed in robes. I found this kind of odd. I had no idea there would actually be someone here waiting for us.

_What, does he live around here? _I thought with sarcasm.

"Journeyer of the long road." The man began in an ancient monotone voice, and we all stopped where we were to listen. "Name yourself." He demanded and Yuna at once, spoke. "I am the Summoner, Yuna. I have come from the island of Besaid." The old man then walked up to Yuna as he began to speak.

"Your eyes, my dear, show me the long road that you have traveled." Then he paused a moment before saying, "very good. You have journeyed well."

_What is he, a wizard? How would he know? I mean, duh it's going to be a long and hard journey here, but he sounds so serious about being able to see through to her soul to find that she really had journeyed hard. _

"Lady Yunalesca will surely welcome your arrival. Go to her now, and bring your guardians with you. Go." The old guy was like some guard posted outside to maintain the gate, making sure that no fakes could pass through.

Nonetheless, we were finally allowed in, but as the elderly man walked, rather quickly, past us, I paused to watch him leave and was surprised to find that he was an unsent, for he slowly disappeared out of sight when he passed by me.

_ Why is this so? Yevon wouldn't really stand for that- oh wait, they don't care. They break their own rules, so never mind. _

As we walked on, we soon stopped as, what seemed to be, two other unsent walked past us then stopped. I watched as they seemed oblivious to us all. Then the first one spoke.

"If it will benefit Spira, I will gladly give my life." _A summoner? _I thought. "It is the highest honor for which a guardian might ask. Use my life, Lady Yoken and rid Spira of Sin."

_Ah, so the other one is actually the summoner…and her guardian wants her to use her life? Wait…Seymour said something like that to Yuna up on Mount Gagazet! But what does that even mean? _

Suddenly, the two women disappeared and I realized that they must be something else if they weren't unsent, because it was as if they hadn't seen us as all.

"W-what was that?" Rikku asked, frightened by what had just happened.

"Our predecessors." Auron replied.

_So…they defeated Sin once before too, huh? Then that would mean they're only memories…memories that Zanarkand has kept. I wonder if Zanarkand will keep us too. _

"She said Lady Yoken, didn't she?" Lulu suddenly asked as she crossed her arms. "Wait, she guarded High Summoner Yoken?" Lulu seemed a bit surprised by this and Auron turned around to face the rest of us.

"This Dome is filled with Pyerflies. It's like one gigantic sphere. People's thoughts remain here. Forever." Then he turned and began walking on and the rest of us quickly followed.

_More like the entire ruins, not just the Dome, I'm sure. _

Within an hour we had gotten into at least ten battles with fiends. Most of which were in groups. I was becoming tired fast and I could tell the others were also feeling the same way. I wanted to sleep, to just lie down and go to sleep for a really, really long time. I could tell we'd be up here all night though.

Suddenly, as we were casually walking through more of the ruins, another memory appeared before us. It was of a child with blue hair that stuck up everywhere and a woman that stood behind him.

"No!" The child exclaimed. "Mother no! I don't want you to become a Fayth!" His mother walked up to him quickly from behind.

"There is no other way. Use me and defeat Sin."

_There it is again. Only this time there's more information involved. _I thought. "Only then will the people accept you." The woman added, then I began to recognize this small blue haired child.

_This kid…he's whining a lot…hmm…he reminds me of someone._

"I don't care about them!" The child cried out as he rubbed his eyes._ That_ was when it hit me.

_Ah, why didn't I realize it before! This is Seymour when he was younger! Wait…so he used his mother…to defeat Sin? This couldn't be but twenty years ago…and then Auron, Braska, and Jecht… _I was slowly fitting the puzzle pieces together now.

"I need you mother, no one else!" Seymour insisted, but his mother closed her eyes, looking worn out suddenly.

"I don't…have much time." Then, image disappeared and Wakka was the first to speak.

"Hey, wasn't that-"

"Seymour!" Rikku finished for him, still frightened by all the memories that kept showing up. No one really had to answer that question. It was obvious and we needed to move on. The next memory that showed up, though, was more interesting but wasn't a surprise.

Before us stood Braska, Jecht, and Auron. He looked so much younger and I couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked then.

"Hey Braska!" Jecht exclaimed. "You don't have to do this!" Braska turned a little to look at him. "Thank you for your concern." Obviously he wasn't going to change his mind either. Reminded me of Yuna.

"Fine." Jecht replied as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I said my peace." However, the younger Auron spoke up.

"Well, I haven't!" I noticed he had his left arm out of his sleeve, the arm that now rested inside his jacket like a sling unless in battle

"Lord Braska! Let us go back!" He pleaded and I could tell by his voice and expression that he really cared for the man. Braska was his friend…and he didn't want to see him die. Now, then years later, he was having to see Yuna die.

"I don't want to see you…die!"

"You knew this was to happen, my friend."

"Yes, but I-I cannot accept it." Auron replied sadly, his head bowed. Braska suddenly chuckled. "Auron…I am honored that you care for me so, but I have come to kill grief itself. I _will_ defeat Sin and lift the veil of sorrow from Spira." Braska seemed to pause as he finally turned to face Auron. "Please understand, Auron." Seeing the look on Braska's face I could tell it was hurting Braska just as much as it was Auron.

Then, the images vanished and all was quiet, but before anyone could ask or say anything, Auron quickly began to walk off again and we could do nothing but follow.

Upon going deeper inside the building, it wasn't long before another play out of Braska, Jecht, and Auron appeared before us again, just as we were reaching a set of stairs.

"Are the trials ahead?" Jecht asked with crossed arms.

_Trials! Seriously? Darn._

"Probably." Braska replied and Jecht sighed as he uncrossed his arms. "Here too, huh? Give me a break. I was expecting, you know, parades and fireworks!" This statement almost made me laugh because that sounded like something Tidus would say now.

_Ah, like father like son. _

"You can ask for them after I defeat Sin." After this was said, their images disappeared, and we continued on up to the stairs. That's when we entered a room with a floor of stone tiles that were decorated in engravings.

Across the room in front of us, was a screen that showed us the same tiles on the floor, only they were lit up in a specific pattern. Tidus and Wakka walked up and examined the floor and then picture.

Tidus walked out on the floor first and at certain areas where he stood still, several squares lit up. Red, green, blue; he matched the tiles on the screen with the ones on the floor. When he had finished, it unlocked three doors to our left and three doors to our right. Immediately, stone pedestals came out from inside and then a door beside the screen opened up.

Let the Trials begin.

Each pedestal, when replaced back inside, another picture showed up on the wall above it after a glowing symbol appeared then another puzzle was shown. Wakka decided to do this one and walked into the other room where there was another floor of tiles.

Like the first room, there was also a screen on the wall to help him. He soon came back a few minutes later with the puzzle was solved.

"There's an opening in the floor in there." Wakka explained to the rest of us as Rikku decided to do the next puzzle. "There are symbols on the floor around it and each of these pedestals that have a puzzle causes the matching symbol on the floor to light up."

"Interesting." I murmured to myself, now wanting to try it out after Rikku. Minutes later, she returned and I went ahead and got the next puzzle piece to the puzzle. I walked inside the room and saw the opening in the floor too. Three symbols around it glowed.

On the wall in front of me was another screen, and on it was the puzzle that would solve for the next symbol. Following where the places on the floor were supposed to be lit up, I stood where I was needed, letting each of the squares beneath my feet light up.

When I finished, the screen glowed yellow before going blank and my symbol lit up on the floor near the opening like the others. I smiled to myself, satisfied, and walked out for the next person to go in.

Finally, all the symbols were activated and we all walked inside the room and stood around the opening. Almost immediately a bright light came up out of it, glowing so brightly we had to shield our eyes from it. When it settled Auron suddenly spoke quickly.

"Everyone, get on a symbol!" We did so quickly, but because there was only six of them and seven of us, Wakka and I had to share one. Suddenly, the room became dark and the rest of the floor except for our circles we stood on, disappeared. Then, something large and dangerous came up out of the opening in front of us.

Whatever creature that was now hovering before us was a bright red with wings, and it kind of reminded me of some sort of insect, or perhaps a messed up scorpion. In any case, it was probably going to give us a lot of trouble, so I braced myself for the worst.

At the first part of the battle there was more healing one another than an actual battle because Mr. Scorpion kept hitting poor Tidus! He even switched with someone so he would be standing on a different circle, but the freaking thing found him and hit him again.

Finally, he had had enough and went into overdrive. The Blitz Ace. Lulu once again threw him the ball when he had done the first part of the damage, then he kicked that ball hard at the Scorpion. It made its mark and did lowered its health.

"I'm really starting to hate this thing!" Tidus exclaimed from his circle. The next actual attack came from Wakka, and when he had wounded the beast, it attacked Auron so Wakka hit him again. Once more, Auron was hit and was forced to take a potion.

_I'm beginning to wonder if Wakka used that hit that second time just to see if the fiend would attack Auron again. _

Now, Kimahri and Lulu went for the kill. Kimahri used one of his special abilities and Lulu used Firaga. This seemed to anger the Scorpion, so he decided to hit _everybody_. Damage was done and we were all forced to heal one another and put up a few shields.

"This thing is annoying!" Rikku exclaimed from her circle.

"Cynyr!" Tidus called from across the way, and I quickly looked up at him. "Switch with me!" I agreed to do so and the two of us transported from one circle to the other. I now was able to stand in a circle all to myself while Tidus and Wakka had to share, but Wakka wasn't going to stand for that.

"Move over, ya!"

"Get your own circle!" Tidus exclaimed as he nudged Wakka with his elbow. Wakka growled with irritation but moved to another circle, the one Lulu was standing in, and she immediately gave him a warning look.

"What?"

Lulu just sighed and shook her head before turning back to the battle and Wakka did so as well, rather awkwardly. Now, Yuna was healing those who needed healing and she was the next to attack with Firaga.

After the fiend tried attacking again, I decided to use one of my own overdrives. I had actually kind of made it up on the spot, but I figured it would do some damage.

First, I jumped up into the air and held my sword above my head. Gravity took over and I slashed across the Scorpions face before leaping back up to go at it again.

On the fifth time I dug my sword into it back and pulled it all the way up to its head. This did some _major_ damage and had even broken its armor. I had just made it easier for everyone to attack the beast and I felt mighty proud of myself.

"Why didn't you tell us you could do that before?" Tidus exclaimed as the beast attacked Wakka next.

"Because this was my first time trying it." I got a few looks of surprise, some of them a worried look which I could understand, because if my attack had been a complete fail then the consequences would have been dire.

Finally, the beast was destroyed and the room from before returned and we were allowed to take a step off our circles. As soon as we had done so, the symbols glowed, then an impression of them slid out to the center of the opening and created the symbol of Bevelle.

Immediately, it dropped and a platform rose up out of the ground, one that would take Yuna all the way down to the place where the Final Aeon would be waiting for her. There was silence.

_This is it. _I thought. _This is where she takes up the Aeon and then…we'll have to go and find Sin and fight it. _

"Yuna." Auron began. "We're here."

"The hall of the final summoning." Yuna replied as she turned to him.

"Go."

"Yes." Yuna replied and bowed a short bow before turning to walk up on the platform. Her head was bowed as the platform began to descend and we all stood, watching and waiting. Surprisingly, it wasn't long before Yuna suddenly returned and we all looked at her in confusion.

"Sir Auron! Everyone!" Yuna called to us desperately, and we immediately jumped aboard the platform and rode down with her in silence.

_What's wrong? Is there some other kind of Boss Fight down there? Surely not._

When we reached the main room, there in the center was what looked like a glass covered tomb. We gathered around it immediately and Yuna crouched down before it.

"This isn't a Fayth…it's just an empty statue." She referred to what was inside and I looked in to find just what she said. A statue. Nothing special about it. Suddenly, from behind Yuna, coming out of a doorway I hadn't noticed before and now had a blue screen across it, the old man from before appeared.

"That statue lost its power as a Fayth long ago. It is Lord Zaon, the first Fayth of the final summoning. What you see before you is all that remains of him." He explained. "Lord Zaon is…he's soul is gone."

"Gone!" Wakka exclaimed in shock, standing up in outrage and confusion.

"You mean…there is no Final Aeon?" Rikku asked, almost hopefully, but Yuna was still going to fight Sin with or without it.

"But fear not." The old man spoke. "Lady Yunalesca will show you the path. The Final Aeon will be yours. The Summoner and the Aeon will join powers. Go to her now…inside." The old man instructed as he bowed to us. "The Lady awaits." He then disappeared before us and we were left standing alone inside to let everything that he had just said, sink in.

_Wait a minute. Auron should have already known this! _I thought, but I wasn't the only one who figured _this_ out. Yuna was turning to the door in which the old man had entered through, but Tidus quickly stopped her, and he crossed his arms as he then addressed Auron.

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

"Yes." Auron replied finally.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Rikku demanded as she took a step forward, a hurt look in her bright green eyes. Yuna continued to stand where she was, probably confused as well.

"If I had told you the truth, would that have really stopped you from coming?" Auron asked as he looked at each of us. Silence filled the room for a moment and we all seemed to look at Yuna now.

"Yuna." Kimahri's gruff voice broke the silence.

"I'm not going back!" Yuna exclaimed in exasperation, frustrated with everyone trying to stop her from doing something.

"Kimahri knows." The Ronso replied quickly as he walked over to stand beside her. "Kimahri goes first. Yuna save. Kimahri protect." With that, he walked through the blue screen in the doorway and Yuna quickly followed after him, followed by Auron, Wakka, Rikku, Lulu, then me. Tidus, however, stayed behind a little longer.

When we entered the large room, for the first time, I recognized the singing of the Fayth. I hadn't really paid attention to it earlier, but now it seemed a little louder than usual. Suddenly, there was the sound of a door opening and then closing from up the stairs that stood just a few yards away from us. Rikku gasped.

"Someone's coming!" We all looked up at the same time and saw the form of a rather beautiful woman with white flowing hair, big breasts there were barely covered along with a matching thong.

_Awkward. _

"Lady Yunalesca." Yuna said.

"Welcome to Zanarkand." Yunalesca said as she stopped at the top of the stairs. "I congratulate you, Summoner. You have completed your Pilgrimage. I will now bestow you with that which you seek." Now, it sounded like she was going to start speaking in some old language like Shakespearean or something.

"The final Summoning will be yours." She held up her hands for emphasis, then waved about the room while saying, "now…choose."

"Choose?" I said with confusion.

"You must choose the one whom I must change to be the Fayth to become the Final Summoning." Lady Yunalesca explained as she began to walk down the stairs. All of us gasped at this, all except Auron of course, and I was sure Yuna was quite shocked herself.

_So that's what all those memories were talking about…Lady Yoken's guardian…Seymour's mother…Jecht. It all makes sense now! One of us will also die with Yuna! _

"There must be a bond between chosen and Summoner, for that is what the Final Aeon embodies." Yunalesca continued, now standing before us on the first ground level. "The bonds between husband and wife, mother and child, or between friends. If that bond is strong enough, that light will conquer Sin."

"A thousand years ago, I chose my husband, Zaon to be my Fayth. Our bond was true and I obtained the Final Aeon." I glanced over at Tidus while she said this and saw the frown on his face and he had now crossed his arms over his chest.

Either he wasn't buying it or he was thinking about how ridiculous it sounded. Of course, there was the possibility that he was thinking about being the chosen one.

"There is nothing to fear." Yunalesca added, finally able to sense the fear in us. "You will soon be freed of worry and pain, for once you call forth the Final Aeon your life will end. Death is the ultimate and final liberation."

_Now she's starting to sound like Seymour. _I thought, and I began to recall the memory that was shown to us earlier of him. _Perhaps he bought what Yunalesca is saying to us now ten years ago._

"Your father, Braska, chose this path." Now she was looking straight at Yuna, even smiling a little, as if to make it sound like it was a good thing, but I say you can't cover up everything in chocolate and make it taste good!

Yuna remained silence and I suddenly got an eerie feeling that soon filled the entire room, and almost immediately, the atmosphere changed and we were seeing another memory of Braska's journey. He was up on the stairs with his back to us, Auron and Jecht behind him.

"It is not too late!" Auron was saying. "Let us turn back!"

"If I turn back, who will defeat Sin?" Braska exclaimed, sounding just like Yuna from before.

"Would you have some other Summoner and _his _guardians go through this?"

"But- my Lord, there must be another way!" Auron said in desperation. I found it ironic how Yunalesca was telling us that death was sweet and peaceful when what we saw before us was the signs of agony and grief that came when it was about to happen

"This is the only way we got now." Jecht said in a gruff voice, his arms crossed over his bare chest. "Fine," He suddenly continued, "make me the Fayth. I've been doing some thinking. My dream is back in the other Zanarkand. I wanted to make that runt into a star Blitz player! Show him the view from the top, you know?"

_He means Tidus. _I thought to myself as I glanced over at the blonde. Already, my heart went out to him.

"But now I know there's no way home for me. I'm never going to see him again. My dream's never gonna come true, so make _me _the Fayth. I'll fight Sin with you Braska then my life will have meaning, you know!"

"Don't do this, Jecht!" Auron cried out. "If you live, there might be another way! We'll think of something, I know!"

"Believe me!" Jecht replied. "I've thought this through. Besides, I'm not getting any younger so I might as well make myself useful."

"Jecht." Braska was saying now, and he was standing before him, looking at him with a meaningful look in his eye.

"What? You're not going to try to stop me too!"

"Sorry. I mean…thank you." Braska replied. Jecht seemed to smile a little as he laid a hand on Braska's shoulder and addressed Auron.

"Braska still has to fight Sin, Auron." Jecht then walked over to him. "Guard him well, make sure he gets there." He crossed his arms again and Auron was once again defeated.

"Well, lets go." Jecht said and he and Braska then began to make their way up the stairs when Auron spun around and called out to them in one last attempt.

"What do you want now!" Jecht shouted, really annoyed now.

"Sin always comes back. It comes back after the calm every time. The cycle will continue and your deaths will mean nothing!"

"But there's always a chance that it won't come back this time." Braska replied as he turned to him. There was hope in his eyes; just as much hope as there was in Auron's, but each one for different reasons. I knew that it wasn't true though. If you had the Final Aeon you already had the next Sin in your hands.

"It's worth trying." Braska added.

"I understand what your saying Auron," Jecht spoke up, "I'll find a way to break the cycle!"

"You have a plan?" Auron asked hopefully.

"Jecht?"

"Trust me. I'll think of something." Jecht replied, then his big laugh echoed loudly throughout the building as Braska and him entered through the other doors and the younger Auron fell to his knees with sorrow.

Suddenly, Auron walked up behind the image of himself, his sword withdrawn, and he swung in anger at it, the blade only passing through the ghostly illusion over and over. Then, he finally gave up and struck the ground with the tip.

"And…the cycle went on." My heart quickened inside my chest as I felt pain arise there. As an unsent, he had been carrying grief, sorrow, anger, and most of all, he was holding a grudge.

_I...can't help but feel sadness for him. _I thought as I bit my lip nervously.

"We'll break it!" Tidus suddenly said, and we all turned to him to find a determined look on his face.

"But how!" Wakka pointed out. "What, you got a plan now?" He added sarcastically. Then, Lulu stepped up, standing beside Yuna as she spoke.

"If one of us has to be a Fayth, I volunteer."

"Me too, Yuna!" Wakka immediately joined in.

"That still won't change anything, you know!" Tidus shouted angrily.

"Tidus is right." I said.

"Yeah, you'd bring the calm, and then what? That _won't _break the cycle!"

"Listen," Wakka began, "you wanna defeat Sin and keep Yuna alive. You don't want Sin to come back, ya?" He crossed his arms over his chest now. "That is just not gonna happen, bradha, ya know?"

"If you want everything, you'll end up with nothing." Lulu added.

"But I _want _everything!" Tidus cried out in frustration.

"Now you're being childish!" Wakka said while waving a fist at him.

"Ugh, I give up! So then what would an _adult_ do then?" Tidus questioned, and I had to admire how logical his questions and comments had become, but he was also pointing out a lot of obvious things.

"They know they can just throw away a Summoner, and then they can do whatever they like! You're right. I might not even have a chance, but no way am I going to stand here and let Yuna go!" There was fire in those bright blue eyes of his, and I could tell he really, _really _loved Yuna. I began to wonder if she was seeing this too.

"And what Auron said about there being another way…" Tidus continued, "I think it's true."

I could have said, "Amen!" right then and there. I believed it too. I believed there _was _another way, more than I had ever believed before.

"You'll think of…something?" Rikku asked with a small smile, hope in her big green eyes.

"Yes." Tidus replied quietly as he looked down at his hands. "I'll go ask Yunalesca. She's got to know something."

"You really think she'll help you?" Rikku asked, a little doubt in her voice now.

"I don't know…but I have to try. This is my story. It will go the way I want it, or I'll end it here!"

"Wait." Yuna spoke for the first time in a while and we all turned to look at her immediately.

"You say it's your story, but it's my story too, you know. It would be so easy to let my fate just carry me away, following the same path my whole life through, but I know…I can't." She held a hand to her chest, a look of thought on her face.

"What I do…I do without regrets." With that hanging in the air, she turned away from us and began walking up the stairs. The rest of us followed soon after, thinking about all that Tidus and Yuna had said.

When we had come up the stairs, we entered through the double doors Yunalesca had gone there. Once we passed through we came up to a huge platform with only the black starry sky around us. In the center of the platform was a giant circle that glowed with symbols weaved around on the inside.

"Have you choosen the one to become your Fayth?" Yunalesca asked from the other end of the platform. "Who will it be?" It almost sounded creepy the way she asked us that, and I wondered if we'd actually have to answer if we found we had no other option. Would if we asked her for another way and there wasn't, because what if we _really_ had to choose someone?

"Might I…ask something first?" Yuna began nervously. "Will Sin come back even should I use the Final Summoning to defeat it?"

"Sin is eternal." Yunalesca replied, a bit amused by Yuna's question. "Every Aeon that defeats it _becomes _Sin in its place, and thus is Sin reborn."

"So that's why Jecht became Sin." Tidus thought aloud.

"Sin is an inevitable part of Spira's destiny. It is never ending."

"Never ending?" Wakka exclaimed. "But- but, if we atone for our crimes Sin will stop coming back, ya!" He waved his fist in the air for emphasis. "Someday it'll be gone? Ya?"

"Will humanity ever obtain such purity?" Yunalesca questioned him, and she was right. There was no way _everyone_ would agree to become pure. It was impossible. It was just a fairy tale told by all who would believe it.

"This-this cannot be!" Lulu suddenly burst, a confused look on her face. "The teachings state that we can exercise Sin with complete atonement!" She paused to take a breath. "Its been our _only_ hope all these years!"

"Hope is…comforting." Yunalesca replied slowly. "It allows us to accept fate, however tragic it might be."

Suddenly, Tidus's anger overpowered him and he ran forward with his sword in his hand, shouting, "No!" but someone else had shouted the same thing at the same time and Tidus came to an abrupt stop, shocked to find the younger Auron standing in front of him with _his _sword out.

"Where is the sense in all this!" The illusion shouted at the other illusion of Yunalesca. "Braska believed in Yevon's teachings and died for them!" He waved his sword out in front of him with one hand, his other clenched up in a tight fist beside him.

"Jecht believed in Braska and gave his life for him!" He swung his sword a second time in front of him, braced like he was ready to have a dual with Yunalesca. My eyes were wide from suspense and I just noticed that I had a hand to my heart, and it was beating fast inside my chest.

"They chose to die…" Yunalesca's illusion said, "because they had hope." Suddenly angered by this response from her, he cried out loudly while running towards her. He rose his large sword above his head and just as he went to strike, Yunalesca raised a hand and a shield formed around her. Auron's blade struck but was stopped then he was pushed back like an explosion had happened.

I gasped as he became airborne then came crashing down on his neck before resting on his stomach. His blade soon came down next, striking the stone in front of him and stuck.

"Yevon's teachings and the Final Summoning give the people of Spira hope." Yunalesca spoke as the illusion slowly disappeared, but I was still staring at the spot where Auron's body had once lain. I had a hand to my mouth now and I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

_So…this was what it was like for him…_ I thought, then I furrowed my brows and became angry.

I looked up at Yunalesca with this look on my face. I had tuned her out up to this point, and then I heard her say, "now choose, who will be your Fayth? Who will be the one to renew Spira's hope?" Just as soon as she had said it I immediately spoke up.

"Lies! They're all lies! That isn't hope! Yevon has lied to us all and even _you _have become convinced!" I clenched my fists, still _very _angry. "If that's what you call hope, then I don't want it!"

"That goes for me too!" Tidus exclaimed, stepping up beside me with the same determined face.

"Me three!" Rikku stood on the other side of me.

"We _all _agree." Lulu added.

"No one will be the Final Summoning. Yuna began slowly. "I would have gladly died. I live for the people of Spira and would have gladly died for them, but no more. The Final Summoning is a false tradition that should be thrown away!"

"No!" Yunalesca interrupted. "It is our _only _hope. Your father _sacrificed_ himself to give that to the people, so they would forget sorrow."

"Wrong…my father-my father wanted Spira's sorrow to go away! Not just…cover it up with lies!"

"Spira's been drugged up on something that doesn't last. It's only temporary!" I added. "Who would want something that is constantly taken away every time we adjust! It's about time we end their sorrow!"

"Sorrow cannot be abolished." Yunalesca replied. "It's meaningless to try."

"My father- I loved him," Yuna began, "so I will live with _my_ sorrow, I will live my own life! I will defeat sorrow in his place. I will stand my ground and be strong! I don't know when it'll be, but someday…I will conquer it! And I will do it _without_ false hope."

"Poor creature." Yunalesca suddenly sighed. "You would throw away hope. Well, I will free you before you can _drown_ in your sorrow."

The ground beneath Yunalesca then became dark and she herself became engulfed in it. "It is better for you to die in hope than to live in despair. Let me be your liberator." Suddenly, she began to change and we realized immediately that she was going to try to kill us. We gasped while reluctantly pulling out our weapons as Auron then began to shout to us.

"Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!

"Yuna needs Kimahri. Kimahri protect Yuna!" The blue Ronso said as he pulled out his lance and spun it once around his hand and took up his battle stance.

"Well I'm fighting!" Rikku said with a raised fist.

"I can't believe we're gonna fight Lady Yunalesca." Wakka said from where he crouched with his ball. "Give me a break."

"You could always run." Lulu suggested.

"Ha!" He laughed. "I would never forgive myself. No way, not if I ran away now. Even in death, ya!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Lulu said with a smile

"Lets fight for real hope!" I shouted as I raised up my sword.

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted. "This is our story! Now lets see this thing through together." Yuna smiled and nodded, then the first three ran forward to the battle lines. Tidus, Yuna, and Lulu. I could already tell this was going to be a difficult battle.

Yuna went first, casting Firaga on Yunalesca, but she came back with Silence and Yuna was deeply wounded. Lulu stepped up and cast Firaga as well and was immediately hit with Silence as well.

Then, Yunalesca went after Tidus, but he wasn't wounded as badly as the other two. So, Tidus then healed Yuna and Yuna healed Lulu before the black mage cast Firaga once more on the white haired witch.

After a few more turns of healing again, Lulu cast Firaga once more and Yunalesca laughed as she cast Silence upon her again. Suddenly, the woman rose into the air, higher, and some kind of creature with tentacles came crashing through the floor beneath her. These tentacles then attacked Lulu, Yuna, and Tidus, wounding them badly.

_They really need help! _I thought, nervously biting at my lip.

Then, Tidus began his overdrive, slicing at Yunalesca's warped body over and over again until he finally jumped into the air and Lulu, having the blitz ball ready, tossed it up to him. He kicked that sucker hard at Yunalesca's face.

After he'd taken his turn, Yuna decided to summon. She summoned Bahamut. Tidus and Lulu quickly got out of the way and the giant beast came crashing down to the platform, causing the ground to shudder beneath our feet. Yuna shielded her eyes then looked up at Bahamut gratefully.

Instantly, Bahamut used Mega Flare and a great column of bright white light with the force behind it came stabbing straight through Yunalesca.

It was so loud that we all had to cover our ears and then our eyes as the explosion became to intense. Then, instead of becoming weaker or dying, Yunalesca decided to transform into something stronger. After the blast she sank into the ground, only to come back up with a red aura as a gigantic head rested just outside the hole in the ground.

From its scalp, at first glance, it looked like giant snakes, but their heads were large skulls instead of snake heads. I wrinkled my nose from the sight of it and gasped when I saw the head's long red tongue that came out of it large mouth of pointed teeth.

Its eyes were yellow but glowed red when it saw us, then it screamed loudly before attacked Bahamut. The Aeon then attacked back, and for a while the two attacked one another back and forth until finally, Bahamut was defeated and disappeared, but Yunalesca's beast was weakened greatly from the Aeon's power.

Now that the Aeon had left, two others came up to the battle lines beside Yuna. Kimahri and Rikku. Rikku, solely for stealing something from Yunalesca, which she had succeeded in doing, but then it was Yunalesca's turn and it wasn't pretty.

Taking five of her skull headed snakes, she struck the three of my friends fast and hard, causing them to be weakened greatly. Kimahri then called out to Wakka and the two of them switched. As soon as they had, I decided I'd fight as well. So, I switched with Rikku, and I was just in time for Yunalesca to do another number of Hellbiter.

So, unfortunately, we were all hit two or three times by the skull heads and I immediately felt the pain of it rush through my body. Fortunately, this was soon gone as Lulu was quick to heal us.

Soon after, Lulu pulled out, replaced by Auron and he quickly ran forwards and attacked Yunalesca with great pleasure. I ran forwards next, using a simple attack first, then Wakka pulled out to be replaced by Yuna who wanted to Summon again.

So, we all ran back as she stood in the middle and threw her arms up over her head, summoning Yojimbo. The large colorful samurai attacked Yunalesca several times, but it wasn't long before he was defeated as well, but this wasn't stopping Yuna. Instead of calling us back out, she summoned again. This time, Shiva.

_Well, so long as she's got the energy and the power, I'm not stopping her._ I thought.

The woman with the long blue hair and blue skin stepped up and preformed Diamond Dust first. It did damage and throughout the rest of the battle, Shiva seemed to last a little longer than the other two Aeons before her. Nonetheless, she too was defeated by Yunalesca's dark magic, but now the witch was weakened a great deal and the next blow would surely kill her.

Auron took the last blow and he did it well. The giant Medusa head of skull headed snakes began to erupt, then it died, sprawled on the ground as the Pyerflies began to disperse it. The stone floor soon returned to normal and there in the middle of the circle sat Yunalesca, defeated and her dignity lost.

We all stood around her quietly, and it was then that she began to speak as the sound of singing Fayth filled the atmosphere once more.

"If I die, so does the Final Aeon." We kind of already figured that, but it looked as though she _was _going to die and that meant coming up with another plan to kill Sin for good.

"And with it," Yunalesca continued, "Spira's only hope."

'Then we'll find Spira a _new _hope!" Tidus cried out in frustration, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared down at her.

"Fool!" She practically spat as the Pyerflies began to take over her body. "There is no other way. Even if there was…even if you _did _destroy Sin, Yu Yevon, the immortal, would only create Sin anew."

"Yu Yevon?" Tidus asked with confusion.

"Ah, Zaon!" Yunalesca cried out. "Forgive me! Spira has been robbed of the light of hope, all that remains is sorrow!" Then, with that, Yunalesca became engulfed by the Pyerflies and she laid herself down upon the floor before disappearing completely. Then, after a moment of silence, Yuna finally spoke up.

"I cannot believe what we just did!" She gasped.

"Lets do something more unbelievable!" Tidus said as he stepped up.

"What?" Rikku exclaimed.

"Destroy Sin…so it won't come back, and _without_ the Final Aeon." He smirked a little at this and then he turned and walked towards the stairs before pausing a moment.

"I don't know how just yet, but I'll find out."

As we descended the stairs together and entered the room we had been in moments ago, we gasped, for there was a sudden flash of light, then the Fayth stopped singing and an eerie feeling filled the place. Looking around for a few seconds we reluctantly began to make our way out of the Dome.

When we had gotten outside we realized it was already early morning, half of the sky a soft shade of yellow. Rikku said that her father would be looking for us out her soon and that we'd be getting on the airship to finally get some rest. I was looking forward to it. We all were.

Suddenly, something rose up from the sea past all the rubble and it became loud and thunderous, the sound like a thousand screaming people who were in agony and pain. We covered our ears then gasped at the sight of Sin who towered above us with his intimidating form, the screaming continuing.

"How will we defeat that?" Rikku whispered just loud enough for us to hear. Then, we heard the sound of a motor far off in the distance and it got louder as it neared us. Looking up into the sky we saw the airship and it flew rather close to Sin who was now turning to go back into the sea.

_What was it doing here? Why did Sin just suddenly show up like that? _I wondered. Then, the airship came closer and we would soon be boarding.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, that was a LONG chapter. Seriously, it's 8,310 words! That's more than usual. Most of my chapters range from 4,000 to 6,000. Oh well, it had to be done. There was a lot that happened and I needed it to fit in this one chapter. <strong>

**Anyway, hope you guys liked my descriptions, considering most of it was from the actual game. Still, it was exciting, that part in the game always gave me chills and it was always my favorite part when Auron would start saying his lines before they fought Yunalesca. :) **

**Sooooo, reviews? **


	32. Chapter 32

**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! In case you haven't heard, there's a petition going out for stopping the deletion of stories here on Fanfiction. They're doing so because of numerous reasons. I got a post about it in my reviews if you want to read it and click on the website that will take you to the petition. **

**One of the reasons for deleting the stories was if it was based on a song. I'm not completely sure if my story counts for that because the title is also the title of the song, "In My Arms" by Plumb, but if so, this story might be taken down if we don't have enough people signing the petition. **

**I've signed it and I hope many of you will also sign it if you want to continue writing stories on here and reading others. So with that said...please enjoy this chapter and hopefully my story won't be taken down before I finish, but of course I also hope the petition will go through and my story will never be deleted. **

**Sign it if you believe in the freedom of speech, my wonderful readers!**

* * *

><p><strong>The Face in the Window<strong>

"Ain't we the happy looking bunch!" Cid exclaimed once he had a good look at us all. Suddenly, Rikku's brother from the front began asking something in Al Bhed, asking where we were to go next and this seemed to tick Rikku off.

"Where, where? Why don't you think of something!" She shouted in aggravation, and her brother just waved a hand at her.

"Well," Auron began, looking at Tidus, "any good ideas?" Tidus turned to look at him and he seemed rather annoyed himself, but who could blame anyone for being cranky. We had been awake all night fighting fiends and then Yunalesca!

"Come on," Tidus sighed, "help us!"

"What do we know?" Auron questioned, but answered his own question. "Sin is Jecht. Thus you have a link, a bond with Sin. That may be our key."

"So," Tidus began slowly as he turned all the way around to face Auron, "what do we do?"

_Nice going Tidus. You say you'll figure it all out yet you try to get others to think it up for you. How thoughtful of you! _

"We think," Auron said as he turned away from him, "and we wait." He then proceeded to walk away as Tidus slumped forward. "Two things I'm bad at." He muttered.

As soon as Auron had walked out of the room, Tidus leaving soon after, Yuna came in. All was quiet as she headed towards Cid. She stopped when she had come about a few feet away from him and then bowed, her hands clasped in front of her chest.

Apparently she was apologizing, and I could only be left to guess that it was because she had become a Summoner in the first place, because Cid had strong feelings against it.

Then, I watched as Cid quickly turned his back to her, and from where I stood I was able to get a glimpse of his expression. I had expected him to be frowning, but no. He was the complete opposite, but it didn't make it any better.

His mouth was tightly closed and he had tears in his eyes, but he made no movement or let the tears fall. Yuna looked up and saw that he had turned away from her. She didn't say anything, but simply turned and walked away, leaving the Bridge.

I decided to sit down a while to rest. I was done standing up. I had been fighting and running around practically all day and night, so I was dead tired!

I was leaning back against the wall looking around me at the airship and suddenly recalled the last time being here. That had been when I was blind. I was so glad I could see it now. It was absolutely amazing!

_I almost wish I could have seen the explosion in the desert. _

Just as I was considering closing my eyes to nap a little, Rikku suddenly spoke excitedly.

"Hey! I just had an idea!" Lulu, Cid, Wakka, and I looked up immediately.

"Ya? Me too!" Wakka said quickly from where he was sitting.

"Me first!" Rikku said just as quickly. "I just had this thought. Sin is Jecht, right? So what if we played-"

"The Hymn of the Fayth!" Wakka immediately interrupted, standing up as he said it.

"Hey!" Rikku exclaimed with hands on hips. "That's what I was going to say."

"Yeah, well, I said it first, ya!"

"But it was my idea!" Rikku argued, standing up close to him, but she was too short to really intimidate him, and Wakka just stood there like a tree with his arms crossed over his chest.

Suddenly, the door to the Bridge opened and Tidus walked in. As soon as he had both Wakka and Rikku turned to him.

"Hey, I just had a great idea!" Wakka exclaimed first.

"It was _my _idea! Let me tell him!" Rikku said while covering Wakka's mouth, but he quickly pushed her aside. "It's like this, ya!" Now Rikku quickly jumped in front of him. "I just thought-"

"The Hymn's the key." Lulu blurted and both Wakka and Rikku groaned.

"The Hymn?" Tidus repeated, a little confused. I stood up from my spot realizing that there was no way I'd be taking a nap, and walked over to the group.

"Sir Jecht likes the Hymn of the Fayth, correct?" Lulu asked.

"Yeah."

"That's why he was listening to it in Macalania." Rikku added.

"Sin. Violence incarnate, listening peacefully."

"Uh," Wakka began as he walked up to Tidus, "I know it's your old man and I don't mean no disrespect but-"

"No, it's fine." Tidus interrupted with a shake of his head. "I've gotten used to it."

"Let me say it." Lulu said. "If we attack Sin head on we'll have little chance of winning. However, if he hears the hymn of the Fayth he will become docile."

"Yeah!" Wakka agreed. "And that's when we'll make our move." Then he stopped and scratched the back of his head kind of nervously. "Uh, it might be against the rules but who's keeping track, ya? Yeah?"

"Yeah, it could really work!" Rikku piped in excitedly, looking up at Tidus expectantly who seemed to be thinking about what they said.

"Yeah," he finally replied, "yeah, it's worth a try!"

"Well, it sounds like a plan to me!" Cid pipped up excitedly and Tidus walked over to him to ask him something. I stood nearby to listen in.

"Hey, um, before we get going, I think it'd be a good idea if we stocked up on weapons and stuff. To be ready for Sin. "

"I agree." Lulu said suddenly from beside him and Cid turned to the blue orb that sat in the middle of the room.

"Alright then, where to first?" Lulu then went over and looked into the sphere as well.

"Wait. Lets go here first." Tidus examined what she pointed at then looked up at her oddly.

"The Omega Ruins? Why?"

"Because…I feel we might find something useful there." Tidus shrugged.

"Sure, okay."

When we arrived at the place we first entered the large cave and stood around for a moment. The silence inside was so loud that it kind of scared me. Without any noise to be heard the place looked and sounded a lot more like a tomb than a cave.

"What's with this place?" Tidus said in a hushed voice.

"Seven hundred years ago a monk that defied the teachings was sentenced here." Lulu explained.

"Ah, the traitor Omega, ya?" Wakka said with crossed arms

"Omega's loathing of Yevon has turned him into a fiend." Yuna explained further. "They say he liked it under the ground," Wakka added, "out of the light."

"So…he's here?" Tidus asked slowly.

"Scared?" Auron retorted as he walked past him, but Tidus snorted as he waved a hand at him.

"Ha, not a chance!"

Maybe _he_ wasn't…but I kind of was. After that incident in the last cave we were I was beginning to hate caves. Especially ones that have something big and scary lurking in it.

However, we all walked deeper inside, torches on walls lighting our way, mostly venturing and perhaps hoping to find something of value lying around or locked up in a chest. What I really wanted was a very long nap back inside the airship.

_Why couldn't I have just stayed behind then? I mean, will I really be needed in this freaking cave? _

"I wonder if we'll actually find Omega in here. Tidus suddenly whispered to me. I glanced over at him then turned away with smirk.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't know. It just sounds exciting. Don't you think?" He laced his fingers behind his head in a casual manner and sighed.

"Not really."

"Why?" He dropped his hands and looked at me with a bit of confusion.

"Because what I find to be exciting right _now_ is to get some sleep. I find _that_ to be the most important thing to do before we defeat Sin."

"Hmm…you're probably right." Tidus then fell silent for a long time and most everyone else was kind of quiet too. I was surprised we hadn't been ambushed by any fiends yet! That's when the whole Omega thing really began to get to me.

_What if he was lurking somewhere where we can't see him…and he's chased all the other fiends away? _

It was quite possible. He was basically the king of this place so he should have already sensed us by now.

_I really, really hate this place. I want nothing more than to get out of here! _

"Hey, Cynyr?" Tidus suddenly began, causing me to jump, and when realizing I had been startled I quickly pulled at my hair as I tried to regain my composure.

"Uh, yeah?" I said with a bit of a sigh and glanced over at him awkwardly, but now Tidus was looking at me with a growing smile.

"What-"

"Wait. Are you scared?" He asked as he stopped walking. I stopped as well, huffing a breath of air as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"No, you just…startled me."

"Why?" Tidus asked with a grin and I quickly averted my eyes to watch the others walk on whom were unaware of our conversation. As I watched them, I noted that something was different but couldn't place my finger on it.

"I just wasn't expecting you to speak, Tidus." I replied coolly as I met his eyes again. He smirked.

"You were thinking about Omega, weren't ya?"

"Don't be silly." I said with a hand on my hip. "I'm not afraid."

"You don't sound too convincing." Tidus teased. "I bet Omega's lurking somewhere close by right now." I rolled my eyes at this.

"And maybe he's watching us _right_ now." Tidus had now lowered his voice and I did my best to ignore his childish behavior.

"Just think, Cynyr, he could pop out _right…now_." At that moment, I felt something breath down my neck and then something said in a deep voice, "boo!" Tidus must have heard it too because as soon as I jumped and screamed, Tidus did so as well. We both spun around, clinging to one another and expected to be faced with Omega himself, but then…we quickly realized it wasn't Omega or even a fiend at all.

There standing in front of us was a _very _amused Auron who was now laughing at us. From behind, the others had heard our screams and were quickly running back, their weapons withdrawn.

"What's going on?" Wakka was shouting. Both Tidus and I quickly let go of one another and glared up at Auron as he took a step towards us.

"I believe I once told you to watch your backs." Our eyes widened in surprise and then realization dawned on us. There was nothing we could do, because he was right, and he got us fair and square.

"Man, that wasn't funny!" Tidus said with crossed arms.

"I beg to differ." Auron smirked. I remained silent as I stood with my arms crossed as well, feeling rather embarrassed.

"What?" Wakka said suddenly from behind us. "No fiend? Did Auron already take care of it then?"

"You…could say that." Tidus replied as he scratched at the back of his head with a nervous laugh.

"Lets just head back." I suggested quickly before any questions were asked.

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing." Lulu replied slowly.

"I don't think there's anything interesting in here anyway." Rikku added, so we all agreed to board the airship again, and once we arrived we agreed to rest up to regain our energy.

* * *

><p>I walked into my room and immediately threw everything off and jumped into the shower. The hot water was AMAZING! I couldn't remember the last time I had had a shower. Now that, my friend, was sad. Still, what could you do about it? When you're on a Pilgrimage it's hard to get clean and stay that way.<p>

Once I had finished showering, I stepped in front of the mirror and stared at myself for some time.

_Wow. Is that really me? Man…I look pretty awesome, I mean, it's been a LONG time since I last looked at myself in a mirror! _I thought, and it was true. Try not to look in a mirror for a few months and come back to see _your_ reaction to yourself.

Then, I turned to look back at my wings in the mirror before slowly unfolding them a little. The bathroom wasn't very big so it wouldn't be able to hold my entire wingspan. Seeing them in the mirror, though, really made me smile.

They were so beautiful in a clear reflection, unlike the one in a lake or a pond. Still smiling to myself, I decided I would try to clean my wings and wash all of my things before I went to bed.

When I had washed my clothes I found a hair dryer under the sink and immediately put it to use. I hung my clothes over the shower rail and pointing the hair dryer at them.

After about thirty minutes I stopped to let them dry on their own and left everything in the bathroom as I walked into the bedroom. Quickly, I hopped into the amazingly soft bed and in five minutes, no problem, I had fallen asleep.

I couldn't remember what I had dreamed about when I woke, just like any time I had ever taken a nap. I didn't wake on my own though. I slowly cracked an eye open as a distant voice called to me and I felt something touching my shoulder, shaking me awake.

I groaned and sighed heavily before blinking and squinting up at the familiar face, then I froze.

"T-Tidus!"

"Duh! Come on sleepy head! It's time to get up! We've slept long enough!"

"W-what? Oh…right-" I stopped as I had begun to roll over on my back but when I felt my wings move underneath the sheets I froze again and looked up at Tidus. He was still looking at me.

"Uh…" I began and he raised a brow. "You can go now!" He quickly held up his hands as he turned to the door.

"Hey, just making sure you're actually going to get up. We're going to Bevelle when you're ready." He stood outside the door as I craned my neck to look at him, making sure that the sheets stayed over my body.

"Why?"

"There's a few questions we need to choke out of Maester Mika." Then, Tidus began to leave and I rolled my eyes as I shouted after him.

"Close the door!" I waited with an annoyed look on my face as he quickly spun back around and hurried back.

"Oh, sorry!"

"Yeah…" I muttered as the door clicked shut. Once I heard his footsteps fade out down the hall I got up and quickly locked the door, just to be safe. Then, I ran into the bathroom and found my hair to be a wreck. Quickly pulling out my brush I raked through my long brown hair while wincing as the brush pulled at all of the tangles.

When I was finally through I set down the brush and sighed, shaking my now very sore arm. It was definitely a lot of work brushing through long hair that had been tangled up for days.

_I'm never putting that off again. _

Going over to the shower I felt my clothes and found them to be mostly dry. I put them on and then went about placing my armor over myself. I looked down at my hands as I was about to put on my leather gloves and stopped to look at the design that circled on the top of my hand and went around my middle and pinky finger.

_I'm pretty sure my hands were under the covers when Tidus was in here. _I thought. _Otherwise, I'm sure he would have noticed and have said something. _Then, I quickly pulled on the gloves and grabbed my sword on the way out.

The doors to the Bridge immediately opened up as I walked up to them and once inside I saw everyone else was waiting.

"Okay, she's here- too Bevelle!" Tidus shouted quickly as he ran over to where Cid was standing.

"Yeehaaw!" Cid shouted as he pressed some buttons, then called over to his son in Al Bhed to get a move on to Bevelle.

"Maester Mika might have something that will help us defeat Sin." Rikku explained to me as she walked up beside me. I turned to her and nodded.

"Do you really think he'll actually listen to us and give us anything?" Rikku shrugged.

"Beats me! In my opinion, I think this is all a waste of time." She placed her hands on her hips as she said this and shook her head. I couldn't help but agree with her.

Later, we arrived at Bevelle and together we hurried up to the doors down the long corridor. With it's decorated floors, the tapestry that hung from the walls; it was the smell of the place that reminded me of the last time we were here. It gave me shivers.

Just as we were coming to the end of the hall, however, two soldiers with guns came running out of nowhere pointing their guns at us while shouting, "infidel!"

Immediately, Wakka placed a hand over his eyes with sigh. "Man, don't these guys ever give up?"

"Just what I was thinking." I muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You'll regret showing your face here!" One of them said in a gravely voice. "We'll strike you down in the name of Yevon!" Tidus sighed as he placed a hand on his hip.

"Blah, blah, blah, yeah, so guys-"

"If they want a fight lets give 'em one!" Rikku exclaimed, interrupting what Tidus was about to say. One of the other soldiers said, "prepare to charge!" but before anyone could do anything a voice from behind the soldiers shouted, "stop!" and immediately they lowered their weapons to turn and find-

_Oh Lord, love a duck! It's that pesky woman! _

Down the hall came Shalinda herself in her same green garb outfit wearing that dumb hat of hers.

"Captain?" One of the soldiers asked in surprise.

_Captain? Captain of what? Gone Wrong Fashion Designs? _

"Lady Yuna is not to be harmed." She explained hurriedly. "She's no traitor! That is an evil rumor spread by the Al Bhed!" Brows were definitely raised and Rikku immediately stood up straight and shouted, "whaaaat!" I had to hold back the laughter because it sounded so ridiculous...plus her reaction was funny.

"Maester Mika himself told me."

_Well then that makes three idiots. You, Mika, and Seymour. All rolled in one! _

"Then…what are we to do?" One of the soldiers asked. I smiled to myself mischievously, unable to help myself think of a few things _for _them.

"Stand down!" Rikku attempted at impersonating someone of higher status, but from where I stood, she failed. However, Shalinda took it quite serious and said, "as she says!" and miraculously they marched off quickly.

"What was that about evil Al Bhed?" Rikku asked as soon as the soldiers had left.

"I-I truly don't understand it myself." Shalinda explained as she walked towards us. "All of Yevon seems to be in a state of confusion. Why yesterday they called me out of blue and named me captain of the guard."

_They must have been desperate. _

Auron suddenly chuckled from the back. "Short on believers?"

"Yes, the chaos in the temples are more than I imagined. It's horrible! And all the priests do is blame each other." Shalinda sighed and shook her head. "I worry what will become of Yevon, but no! I must be the rock that stands in the swirling tides, right?" Before Yuna could even say anything, Shalinda continued.

_I'm starting to think she's got a hinge on that tongue of hers. _

"Lady Yuna, I must tell you that your courage has been a great inspiration to me." Shalinda said with a smile.

"Yeah, that's great, but we came here to see Maester Mika. Uh, is he here?" Tidus quickly intervened.

_Amen, Tidus. Amen. _

"Ah-uh, yes," Shalinda stammered, "I shall arrange an audience." Then she turned and ran back to the double doors ahead while calling over her shoulder, "please wait in the court room!"

"Hey, hey, hey wait!" Rikku called after her urgently, but without luck of getting her attention. "What was all that about the Al Bhed lying and stuff!" She exclaimed mostly to herself.

"Simple." Auron said suddenly, and Rikku turned to him in surprise. "Yuna has become Maester Mika's only hope." Rikku held a finger to her cheek as she thought about this.

"Ohhhhhhh…okay!" She said this quickly, satisfied with that answer already, but I found her to be convinced too easily.

"Just what does he think he can get away with?" Lulu asked with a hand to her head.

"Time to teach him some manners." Tidus snorted, then smirked as he turned to Yuna and she smiled with a nod of agreement.

"Yes, lets."

When we were finally let in, we stood on a balcony and Maester Mika stood at the end of it. He had his back to us as we entered, hunched over and tired looking. This was the first time I had seen him.

"Why are you here?" He demanded. "You must go and defeat Sin, quickly! You have obtained the final Aeon from Yunalesca have you not?"

_He's about to find out. _

"Well, we _did_ meet her." Tidus replied.

"And we _did _say good-bye." I couldn't help but add. Tidus glanced over his shoulder at me, a smirk on his face and I smirked back. Then, Yuna finally spoke up.

"We fought and defeated her."

Immediately Mika spun around in shock. "What!"

"Summoners and their Guardians will be sacrificed no more!" Auron replied harshly. Mika held a hand to his head in disbelief. "You have profaned and subverted a thousand year old tradition!" He suddenly hunched over even more with his hand still to his head like he had a headache.

"Fools! Infants! Do you realize what you've done?" He asked in a low and demanding voice. "You've taken away the only means of calming Sin!"

"Hey, maybe that's not the only way!" Tidus interrupted quickly. "We think we've got another." Disgusted by this Mika replied in a horrified manner. "Why, preposterous! There is. No. Other. Way!"

"The _grand _Maester running away?" Auron asked suddenly, but Maester Mika shook his head with sorrow. "Spira has lost its only hope. Destruction in inevitable!" Then he slumped his shoulders and hung his head. "Yu Yevon's spiral of death will consume us all. I have no desire to watch Spira die."

"It _won't _die!" Yuna said with confidence.

"Who is this Yu Yevon guy?" Tidus asked.

"Lady Yunalesca also mentioned him." Lulu added.

"Wait, gramps! Who's Yu Yevon?" Rikku demanded.

"He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armor!" Mika replied miserably, then turned away from us, a deep frown upon his face. "An armor called Sin! Clad in it, Yu Yevon is invincible." Then he spun around to face us again. "And the only thing that could have pierced that armor, _you_ have destroyed!"

He shouted the last words in anger, spitting everywhere as his white eyebrows drew close together to glare at us. Then, raising his hands high above his head he added in a distressful voice, "_nothing_ can stop it now."

Suddenly, an orb of white light appeared in the middle of his torso and Pyerflies burst from it as his body began to become invisible, and just like that, he was gone.

"Argh! Disappear on us will ya?" Wakka growled with frustration. "Rotten son of a Shoopuf!" Then, before anyone could say anything else, Shalinda suddenly showed up.

"W-where is the Grand Maester?" She asked in bewilderment.

"He um-" Yuna began, but was unexpectedly interrupted by Auron.

"He's not here yet." I raised a brow at this. "How long must we wait?"

_Dang Auron! _

"That's odd…" Shalinda said thoughtfully, "I'll go look for his grace." Then she turned and ran away quickly in search for him. As we were watching her go Tidus and Yuna began to say something and Wakka turned to question them first.

"Hey, who you talking too?" Tidus quickly turned around and shook his head.

"Uh, no one." Yuna then walked up to Auron and said, "I must go see the Fayth." He made a short laugh in his throat. "I see."

_See what? What's going on? _I thought in curiosity and confusion, but before I could ask anything we began to head out and both Yuna and Tidus headed to the place where the Fayth would be.

It was a good while before they returned, but once they had they did so just as Shalinda was coming back to meet us.

_Nice timing. _

"I-I'm afraid the Grand Maester is nowhere to be found."

"It's okay, we were just leaving." Tidus replied with a shake of his head and a smile.

"Oh, I see." Shalinda said thoughtfully.

"Hey!" Rikku suddenly shouted, and I winced because I was standing right beside her. "Maybe…you could help us with the Hymn!" She looked over at Tidus when she said this and he suddenly smiled and turned back to Shalinda.

"Hey, good idea!"

"It's like…we need you to tell as many people as you can." Rikku explained.

"What should I tell them?" Shalinda asked curiously.

"A ship in the sky will play the Hymn of the Fayth. When they hear it, we need everyone to sing along."

"Everyone in Spira!" Wakka added excitedly.

"I'm not sure I understand." Shalinda replied with a small sigh.

"You don't have to." Rikku said quickly. "Just tell everyone!"

"A ship in the sky will sing the Hymn of the Fayth? So, when they hear it, everyone should sing along, correct?" Shalinda asked.

"If they do, we might be able to defeat Sin!" Tidus replied with a nod and Shalinda got a bewildered look on her face.

"Truly?"

"Yes!" Yuna said.

"That's wonderful! You can count on me! I'll tell all of Spira!"

Later, on the ship, just about everyone headed for the Bridge to let Cid know the plan. However, I stayed up at the top level where all the windows covered the walls to wait.

"Hey, aren't you coming?" Rikku asked as she passed me, coming to a halt to look at me. I turned to her and smiled.

"No. I'm going to stay up here for a few minutes."

"Oh, okay." Rikku shrugged then ran down the stairs where the others had gone. Then, Auron walked past and he stopped to look at me. I met his gaze evenly but I was unsure of what he was thinking as he stared at me. He didn't say anything though, and neither did I. In fact, I wasn't really sure _what _to think myself.

When he finally walked away and down the stairs, I watched him, then turned to the first window I had came to. I held a hand to the glass and looked out. Clouds. Sky and clouds. Nothing more was to see. I sighed and leaned my shoulder against the glass, letting the side of my face touch the glass as well. It was cold, but I didn't mind.

_Tidus is right. When will I tell him? _

Suddenly, something outside caught my eye and I straightened up quick to look. Searching among the clouds I saw nothing, but I was sure I had seen _something. _

"Sin?" I whispered to myself, then shook my head. "No…he wouldn't show up all on his own. We haven't played the Hymn of the Fayth yet." I looked over my shoulder and realized that I was only one on the second floor, and it was deathly quite.

_I guess everyone's downstairs. _I thought, then, I turned back to the window. As soon as I had I immediately jumped back as my heart leaped to my throat. It was a wonder I hadn't screamed in fright, for there in the window was Rin's face.

Eyes wide I watched as he smiled creepily at me, but I already knew it wasn't _really _Rin.

_Shadow. _I thought as I immediately glared at him through the glass.

Shadow continued to smile like that, then he suddenly mouthed out the words that left me in bewilderment.

"Time to die."

* * *

><p><strong>Mawhahaha! Exciting isn't it? Next chapter will be up tomorrow! :) And don't forget to check out that petition if you haven't done so already. The website is in my reviews, so just look there. Whoever posted it named themselves FYI. Hope that helps. <strong>


	33. Chapter 33

**Yay! Chapter Thirty-Three! I bet ya'll are excited because of that last chapter's cliffhanger! mehehe I love cliffhangers. :) I especially love it because it causes you guys to guess what MIGHT happen. Mawahaha! But I am the only who knows! :D :D haha Okay, I'll shut up now. ENJOY!**

* * *

><p><strong>Last Minute<strong>

I watched as Shadow slowly let himself fall backwards, his body picking up speed as he fell through the clouds and finally out of sight. Even so, I stared in horror at the window for several seconds as I tried to make sense of what had just happened and what was about to happen.

_Shadow…he's returned. So soon? Why?_ I tried to catch my breath as realization began to slowly dawn on me, then suddenly, footsteps were rapidly coming up the stairs from behind me and I spun around in fright, but it was only my comrades.

"Cynyr!" Tidus shouted up at me and I quickly attempted to regain my composure, trying to hide the fear in my eyes.

"W-what? What's the matter?" I asked as I looked from one person to the other nervously.

"Cid has just spotted something unusual below us." Lulu explained as she came up beside Yuna who was now standing beside Rikku and Tidus. The rest of them also gathered around and I gave Lulu a questioning look.

"Sin?"

"No way." Wakka began. "This is something else."

"Come on!" Tidus shouted as he ran towards the elevator that led to the deck. Everyone immediately followed and I reluctantly did so as well. "Maybe it's some kind of giant fiend." Tidus was saying as we rode up into the elevator.

"I don't know…this sounds dangerous." Yuna said quietly.

"What? More dangerous than Sin?" Tidus snorted with a hand on his hip.

_If I'm correct, yes, Tidus, yes it is. Because Shadow plans on taking over the whole world. _

As soon as we got up on deck the wind hit us like an explosion and we all squinted through it.

"Hey, pops! Slow down!" Rikku shouted loudly, and miraculously, Cid had heard her and slowed the airship.

"Where is it?" Wakka asked as he looked around, but Tidus was already making his way to the edge of the ship on the right.

"Over here!" He stopped and looked down as we began to walk over to him.

"There it is!" He pointed down and we all looked to see a giant black vortex swirling wildly just below our ship. Luckily, we were up high enough out of range of being sucked into it, but I had a bad feeling that that was exactly Shadow's plan.

_I can't let Shadow do that! He must be inside it, but why is he about to show himself now? Is it really possible that he's already collected enough power to try an take me over? _

"Man, what is that thing?" Wakka asked in bewilderment, but no one had an answer, except for me, but I wasn't sure how to tell everyone. It would be kind of a last minute thing considering we were about to already go into battle with Sin, and now this!

_The time has come, Cynyr. _Ida suddenly whispered and I felt my heart leap inside my chest as I replayed what she had just said in my head to make sure she had really said that.

_The time has come…the time has come…it's so soon, and I don't even know what to do! _

Suddenly, something like a black swirling column from the vortex came shooting out towards us.

"Get back!" Auron shouted, and immediately we rushed away from the side of the ship just as it was struck and we got down on our knees quickly. The ship tilted violently to the left, causing everyone to hang on for dear life.

"Whoa!"

"What was that?"

I heard some of them shout. They were farther away from me and I had had little time to get farther away from the edge.

"What's going on?" Cid's voice suddenly shouted over the intercom, but he was left unanswered as the airship was violently struck again, only on the other side.

"No!" I gasped as I lost my grip, and I began to flip backwards as the ship tilted to the right. Now, I began to roll down its smooth surface and I desperately tried to grab hold of something. When I continued to roll and even picked up speed I finally called out for help, but it was too late. By the time anyone heard or saw me, I was already falling right off the side of the ship.

Someone screamed and others shouted, wind rushed past my ears, the sound like a loud waterfall beside me. My stomach felt like it had come up into my ribcage as my heart seemed to have stopped.

I was so shocked at what had just happened that it took me a few seconds to realize that I was literally falling through the air and towards the black vortex where Shadow was waiting. It was when I heard his loud laughter that I snapped out of my shock and I instinctively began to grab at the buckles that held my breastplate around me.

Shadow's laughter continued, and it got louder as I came closer to the funnel. Unfortunately, my gloves were limiting my movement in my fingers to grasp the buckle and undo it.

_Come one! Let go! _

Finally, I used my teeth to rip the gloves off my hands and I let them fly away from me as I grabbed at the buckles again. This time I was more successful, but it had come to the last minute, and by the time my breastplate had broken away from me and I was able to flip myself over to face Shadow, I was immediately engulfed inside the vortex.

I unfurled my wings immediately and caught the air too fast, causing myself to be jerked upward and giving myself whiplash. I ignored the pain and clenched my teeth as I focused on swooping and far enough away from the walls of the vortex.

All around me I saw objects and people moving about inside the vortex. It was like they were trapped inside and unable to get out. Looking back up I saw that the opening I had fallen through was slowly closing. Shadow's laugh returned and it surrounded me, filling every space inside.

"I've finally got you!" He exclaimed loudly, hurting my ears. "I've got you and there is no escape! You have _no one _to save you! You're mine! You're finally _MINE!_" He laughed again and I quickly looked around me at the people with agony written all over their faces as I covered my ears.

_These people…he's used these people to get to others, building up more and more power. _I even spotted a few Summoners, at least, I thought they were. They had staffs in their hands, some of them even praying.

_This is awful! _

I looked up again and saw that the opening was closing up much faster now, so I quickly flapped my wings to get myself higher, searching the walls of the swirling vortex.

"Where are you?" I thought aloud urgently. Now, the people inside had spotted me and began to notice I was outside of the walls. They began screaming out to me, banging against the prison wall that separated them from their freedom.

"Please! Please!" They called, over and over again.

"Rin…where's Rin!" I called back, but they weren't listening to me. "Rin! Where are you? Rin!" I called out again and again, and just as I thought I might never find him, I suddenly caught sight of his face just below me. He was looking up at me with hope in his eyes, banging against the wall as well. I had a feeling that if _I _touched the wall I'd be sucked in too. Trapped and forever lost inside without being able to save anybody.

"Rin!" I practically shrieked and flew down to him as relief washed over me and relief seemed to wash over his face as well.

"Rin! Oh, Rin! How do I get you out?"

"Cynyr! You've come!" He exclaimed, but then he was looking at my wings, and his face slowly turned to confusion and bewilderment.

"I know, I know. I'll explain later!" I quickly replied. "First I have to get you out of here." Suddenly, something caught my eye and I looked down at my hands to find my markings glowing a brighter blue and purple. Like vines, they began crawling up my arms and others began to wrap around my fingers, coming together to make a whole new design.

_Reach inside. _My mother instructed and I slowly lifted my hands to the wall and Rin held out his own hands from inside. My finger tips touched the wall, but I was not sucked in. In fact, I was slowly passing through it like it was air.

I looked up at Rin and smiled. He returned the smile before looking back down at my hands and I quickly reached inside and grabbed hold of his. I gasped and almost let go when I found his hands to be icy cold.

He looked up at me and I met his eyes. They were full of distress and pain and I understood. Then, just as I was about to pull him out I noticed that the others inside the wall were also noticing me and Rin. They began to realize that I was saving him and they quickly came crowding around.

"Rin!"

"Pull!" Rin shouted urgently, and I quickly did so. He passed through the wall just as easily as my hands had, but I had to quickly wrap one of my arms around his torso to keep him from falling when I had him out.

Immediately, he became warmer and he gasped as if he had been holding his breath the whole time he had been inside the vortex.

"Oh, Cynyr!"

"Rin, I'm so glad you're okay, but we've got to get out of here. We can talk later." We both looked up to find the opening to be at least five feet in diameter. Unfortunately, my wingspan was a lot longer than that.

"Hurry." Rin urged as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and I got a better grip on him before flying quickly upwards. He was surprisingly light, but I wasn't sure if it was because he had become weak or because I was actually strong enough to carry him easily. Either way, it was a good thing, otherwise, it would have been much harder to fly.

Faster and faster I moved my wings and higher and higher we got. Nonetheless, the opening was still shrinking, but then I suddenly had an idea.

"Get ready!"

We were closer now and the opening shrank another foot. I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw hurt.

_Come on! _

With one final flap of my wings, I quickly closed them and tried to make myself and Rin as small as I could. We burst through the opening, wisps of black clouds trailing behind us a little as we shot out. Immediately, I reopened my wings when I saw the blue sky and felt the sun's warm light and began flapping them again.

_We made it! _I thought with excitement and flew straight for the airship that was still hovering where I had left it.

"Rin…no one knows." I said quietly.

"I always knew there was something different and unique about you, Cynyr." Rin said with a smile, and I returned it, laughing a little as I found myself pleasantly surprised by his reaction.

"Thank you, Rin."

As soon as I had come in sight before my friends I saw their faces and, ironically, wanted to laugh more than anything. Every jaw was dropped and everyone's eyes were wide. I imagined Auron's jaw was dropped, but who could tell? His mouth was quite hidden behind that ridiculous collar of his, but I did note that his one brown eye was full of shock.

I landed lightly upon the deck of the airship and pulled my wings back behind me as I let Rin go and he took a moment to make sure he was really standing on solid ground. Meanwhile, I looked around at everyone else.

Tidus was the first to speak.

"Why didn't you tell us you had those before!" His voice squeaked a little at the end and I couldn't help but laugh this time.

"Whoa, look at those birthmarks!" Rikku suddenly pointed out and I blushed from embarrassment as I glanced down at my arms and hands.

"One half of your face is practically covered in it, ya!" Wakka added and I looked up in surprise.

"Is it?"

"Yes, it is." Rin said with an amused smile, looking at me face as well.

"Cynyr…" Yuna began slowly as she took a step towards me, but everyone else seemed to keep their distance. I didn't blame them. This was a shock and absolutely unexpected to them. The sight of me was no doubt intimidating as well.

"I- we thought you had…we just-"

"We thought you were a goner!" Tidus finished for her and I smiled a small smile.

"To tell you the truth…so did I."

"What exactly is going on, Cynyr? Auron suddenly asked, but before I could answer him the others cried out in fear and Rin quickly backed away as something behind me rose from the sky.

I quickly spun around, and there hovering before me as black as death was Shadow. He was a warped form of a human and a beast. His nose was missing and one of his eyes were larger than the other. Scars ripped through his neck and bare chest, his chest only being a third there while there seemed to be a chunk missing, and it revealed some of his insides.

It was putrid.

"You…you vile, disgusting, wriggling little worm!" Shadow exclaimed, his voice coming out raspy and shrill. I winced then placed my hands on my hips.

"I believe you need to take a look at yourself before you start calling me stuff like that!"

"Shut up!" He spat, then he came closer to me; the smell of him was as bad as his looks!

"So, this is your true form?" I asked.

"Cynyr, what is that?" Lulu shouted at me, and with a quick glance over my shoulder I realized everyone had their weapons withdrawn, standing a good distance away. Looking back up at Shadow I answered.

"Lay down your weapons! This is _my _battle, _my _enemy, and it's _me_ he wants! And only _I _can stop him!"

"We shall see, Cynyr, we shall see." Shadow said slowly and I glared up at him angrily.

"I've grown stronger, Cynyr!" He raised his voice. "So, give it all you got, because it will be your _last _time!" I bent my knees, getting ready to attack him as I clenched up my fists beside me. He laughed wildly then came at me, but I drew out my sword in a flash and swung hard at his decaying torso. Instead of making contact, my sword simply passed through him, like air, and he stood behind me with a grin on his face.

"Prepare to die!" He exclaimed, grabbing for my neck, but I ducked then rolled myself off the ship before opening my wings and catching the air. Shadow flew after me, his legs fused together to make a single funnel, like a vortex. This allowed him to move wherever he wanted through the air and he came after me.

I flew fast and hard, higher and higher into the sky, trying to pick up speed, but Shadow was right behind me like a dog after a rabbit. He laughed like a maniac as he came nearer to me, then he suddenly grabbed my leg and I immediately felt the sensation of a burning fire surge through.

I cried out in pain and tried to get away, kicking my leg hard in an attempt at loosening his grasp. He laughed and only gripped harder. I shrieked, now slashing at his arm with my sword, but it did no good.

_Your power, use your power, Cynyr! _Ida ushered me, but I didn't know how. I couldn't remember how I had done it the last time. Suddenly, Shadow let go of my leg and flew up to grab my face. This was my chance, and I took it, flipping backwards and closing my wings behind me as I let gravity take me down fast. Below, I saw the airship and all my friends gathered in one spot, watching.

Then, I began to open my wings and slowly come up. I caught the air and I hovered a moment before I heard Shadow far above me call down to me and I quickly put my sword away as I spun around to face him.

"You can't even touch me now, Cynyr!" He laughed as he clasped his hands together then slowly drew them apart, and in between his hands was a growing black orb that he let grow bigger and bigger. It reminded me of something you'd see in a nightmare, a dark black hole that was going to swallow you, and he was about to use it on me.

"Taste this!" He shouted, and he threw it down to me like a blitz ball. My eyes widened and I quickly swung out of the way just as it came at me, but it whizzed past and I gasped as I remembered the airship below.

Looking down I watched as the black orb barely missed the ship and careened on down to the sea below.

_What if that had hit my friends! _I thought in amazement. _That could have easily killed them!_ That's when I grew angry. Angry, because Shadow could have killed my friends. Angry at myself, because if it had hit them it would have been my fault as well.

_I should have let it hit me instead! _

"Come on, Cynry!" Shadow taunted. "I'm just warming up!" He was now creating another dark orb of energy and I quickly turned to face him as a feeling of power began to stir inside my chest.

"I believe it's my turn!" I shouted up at him as I flew a little bit closer to him. Shadow laughed at me, growing his orb bigger than the first one.

"This one shall surely finish you off! But don't worry, I'll put your remains to good use when I'm done with you!" He laughed harder and more loudly as I felt the power inside me surge. It coursed through my veins like blood and my skin began to feel hot.

Glancing down at my arms and hands I realized that my markings were slowly turning from blue to a lighter shade of blue and then to white. As it did so, the heat intensified and I felt that the power inside me was about to overflow!

_Contain it! _Ida suddenly said. _If you let a wild animal loose it will do damage to not only to the people around him but to himself as well! _This was a warning, because if I didn't do it right the first time then all would be lost. Closing my eyes I began to concentrate on my power and the anger I was feeling inside my heart.

_Contain…tame it. Come on. _I told myself over and over as I drowned out Shadow's laughter. Suddenly, the heat on my skin began to cool down and my anger subsided a little. The power I felt so strongly inside my chest minimized and I mentally broke down the barrier inside so that I could control my power. Enerugi.

"Today's the day!" I heard Shadow exclaim and I suddenly opened my eyes just as he threw down the boulder sized black orb. I gasped, then instinctively held my hand up in front of me, turning my head and closing my eyes as I got ready for the impact.

_This is it! _

I thought, but…the impact never came. Opening my eyes I noticed something was different, so I turned my head to look up realized I had just made a sheer shield around me.

The orb that had been thrown at me had bounced off my shield and was now flying through the air towards Shadow. I had looked up just in time to see him move out of the way of it, a surprised look on his face, but he hadn't moved in time for the ball nicked him right in the shoulder.

After the ball of energy had disappeared, he immediately glared down at me and I slowly moved my hand away, letting the shield disappear and I felt some of the power leave my hand.

_I just did that. On my own. _I thought excitedly.

Now, feeling a little more confident, I held both of my hands in front of me like Shadow had done to create his energy orb. I clasped them together and closed my eyes as I began to form an orb of light as well, only mine wasn't dark.

When I felt the energy swell beneath my fingertips I opened my eyes and saw that my orb was white. I smiled and looked up at Shadow, smirking now as he soon began to make one of his own.

"Oh, no you don't!" He exclaimed, but unfortunately for him, I had a head start, and in just a few seconds I had a large orb of Enerugi in my hands and I threw it as hard as I could at Shadow. It shot through the air and hit him straight in the shoulder, knocking his arm right off completely. As it began to fall it slowly disappeared then Pyerflies exploded from it.

Now, his orb was gone and Shadow's anger for me grew. "You wench!" He shouted and suddenly raised his only hand up into the air, and from the sky above him, dark clouds began to gather.

Then, in two seconds flat, lightening came shooting down upon me. I tried to shield myself, but I was too late. Realizing that I was, I tried to move out of the way but was struck in the ribs. The pain was electrifying, but I held onto my consciousness as I saw my vision tunneling.

_Try something he hasn't! _Ida suggested quickly and I searched my mind for something quickly as the dark clouds above me began to disappear.

_Stay focused... _I thought, trying to shake the fuzzy feeling in my brain.

"Forget it, Cynyr!" Shadow spat. "You can't beat me! You don't even know your own power!"

_You're wrong. _I thought, wincing a little at the pain that was still in my ribs. Then I suddenly had an idea.

"You will die today!" Shadow shouted with laughter.

"Wrong!" I shouted back, getting his attention as I held both my hands out in front of me and once again, I felt Enerugi surge up into my hands. I contained the energy, then I mentally broke down the barrier again.

"_You _will die today!"

With that, I cried out and let Enerugi poor out of my hands, a huge column of bright white light that shot out like something Bahamut would have done. It struck Shadow in the chest and he had no time to protect himself or even attack back, and I let the power surge for several more seconds as I listened to Shadow cry out in pain.

He grew louder as the agonizing bolt ripped up his decayed body, and I winced as my ears rang with his screams. Then, just as I thought I had killed him, he suddenly began to push back. I looked to find that he had a column of his own pushing down on mine. I pushed harder, but with our forces becoming equal, we were getting nowhere.

Realizing this before Shadow, I stopped, held up a shield, and let his magic bounce off and attack himself again. This time, though, he expected it and already had a shield up as well.

"I'm not falling for that again, Cynyr." He said as he laughed in his throat.

"Then how about this!" I shouted and lifted both my arms in the air before pushing down to let veins of electricity shoot downwards from my fingertips. Shadow laughed as he watched them continue downward then looked up at me with a smirk.

"Hey, if you're going to kill me, DO IT RIGHT!" He then resorted to laughing loudly again, but I glared at him, a small smirk on my face as well as I waited, and then it came.

In a blink of an eye, lightening bolts came crashing down on him from above, and as he screamed in pain and the lightening continued, I came back with another attack.

I held my right hand before me with my palm down and the other above me with my palm up. In seconds, Enerugi had built up enough in my left hand that I swung it downward towards my right. Immediately, a wave of energy exploded outward from my palm, forming a circle, and it grew like that of a ripple in water.

The force behind it was so great that it created something like a sonic boom and Shadow was immediately engulfed in it as his screams became louder. I watched as the light collapsed over him and he suddenly seemed to have combusted.

Then, another bright light, not my own, exploded around him. I took my hands away from their position, letting the Enerugi simmer as I squinted up to watch Shadow slowly fall apart.

Pyerflies immediately began to swirl around him, then out of nowhere, a black hole appeared out of the sky above him and I watched with wide eyes as he was sucked inside it. I got a little closer to take a better look, and he cried out to me, but I ignored him when suddenly, he reached out and grabbed my arm.

I gasped, not expecting this as I had already thought that he had been to badly damaged to have grabbed me. Unfortunately, he now he had a hold of me and was pulling me in with him.

Frantically I began trying to pull back. "No! Let go!"

"If I go, you're coming with me!" He rasped loudly, but I flapped my wings harder, pulling back again and again, but it wasn't working. The suction inside the opening was to strong. We were getting closer and closer to the inside too, my arm already halfway in.

"Let go! Let go! Stop!" I screamed, using my other hand to grasp his wrist. Immediately, my touch burned him and he cried out in pain as the energy came pouring our of my left hand and onto his skin, burning off whatever skin _was_ left.

Then, just as the hole was closing up around us, he let go of me and I let myself fall away. I watched as Shadow was sucked in and the hole close up around him, the sky becoming normal again.

Suddenly, fatigue and pain took over my body and I felt as though I were floating in it. It was when I heard shouts from below that I became more conscious of what was happening.

I wasn't flying anymore. I was falling.

Using whatever strength I had left, I righted myself and began to swoop down towards the airship below. Everyone stood around, watching in silence as I did so, then landed before stumbling a little.

My wings immediately drooped behind me as I found myself too tired to even hold them up. Then, I looked up at everyone and tried to take a step forward.

"Please…don't be afraid of me." I managed to say, but before I could take another step a pain in my leg shot up like electricity, and it ran all the up to my throbbing ribs.

I gasped in shock and immediately crumbled to the ground, wincing in pain as I suddenly felt like dying. I heard gasps from the others as well and then someone came running towards me.

I was in too much pain to figure out whose footsteps they were, and it wasn't until they had knelt before me and pulled me up on their lap that I recognized them.

"A-Auron?"

I was both surprised and pleased upon seeing his face, then I heard the others quickly come to gather around me as well.

"Cynyr…" Auron said softly, but before he could say anything else, Yuna began to speak.

"Are you alright?"

"That was some fight up there." Wakka added.

"Lets bring her inside." Lulu suggested. I quickly shook my head as they were about to move away and Auron was about to pick me up.

"You can't." I began quickly, and closed my eyes momentarily as I felt the beginning stage of dizziness.

"Why not?" Tidus asked for everyone.

"Because I'll be too heavy to carry." I managed to smile a little as I looked around at everyone and they seemed to realize this as well.

"Well, I better go inside to distract my father then." Rikku said quickly, and turned to walk back inside the airship.

Once she had left Tidus, Wakka, and Rin sat down on one side of me while Lulu and Yuna sat on the other. Immediately began to heal me, slowly. Kimahri, on the other hand, preferred to stand.

"Guys, I'm sorry-"

"Don't speak." Auron interrupted and I looked up at him in slight surprise, but when I saw the worry in his eyes, I smiled a little before doing as I was told.

About ten minutes had passed and Rikku came back as Lulu and Yuna were just finishing up and I felt a lot better than before. I was able to sit up, but I'd need to get the rest of my strength back through time.

For several seconds, there was silence as I mostly tried to avoid looking at everyone and instead, looked at my hands, but I knew I had to explain myself. There was no getting around it now. I was finally exposed, just as I had feared.

_But maybe it won't be so bad. _I told myself.

So, I finally looked up at everyone and sighed.

"I'm sure you're all wondering what's going on...and you've got a lot of questions."

"Yeah." Tidus snorted.

"I'm not sure where to begin…" I said softly.

"Did you always have your wings?" Rikku asked suddenly, and I looked up at her before replying, "they didn't appear until we were in Macalania Woods."

"You've had them for that long?" Wakka asked. "How did this even happen, ya?"

"Well," I began slowly, "I was…born with them. Although they didn't begin to show up until I was probably thirteen."

"They were a lot smaller then this and I couldn't use them until I got older. Every so many months they would sprout out from my shoulder blades…then my ribs and lungs would expand…" I trailed off a moment to let this sink in, then continued.

"Also…I have a higher metabolism, and I've got just about as much strength as two men.

"Whoa, really!" Tidus and Wakka both said in unison, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to lift myself _and_ these wings."

"Cool! What else can you do?" Tidus asked with a grin.

"Well, my body can heal itself faster than the average human…and I have this power, Enerugi, as I'm sure you've all seen…" I trailed off as I looked up at the sky.

"I think you should probably explain to us _how _you came to obtain this power _and_ your wings." Lulu began with a raised brow. "As well as who that creature was and why you didn't tell us all this before."

I swallowed hard and looked at everyone's faces and they all seemed to agree. I could tell, even though they tried to hide it, that some were still a little suspicious of me and a bit worried.

Now I had to tell them. If I didn't…

_They might actually try to get rid of me._

* * *

><p><strong>"No! Another cliffhanger!" Says the reader.<strong>_  
><em>

**"Yay! Another cliffhanger!" Says the Writer.**

**Well, I must say that I really enjoyed writing this chapter. :) I loved every minute of it but it also took a lot of time to get it juuuuust right. I had to put a pinch of suspense and pinch of anger and excitement...plus a cliffhanger and it was all done! :D Hope you enjoyed, please review, and I'll have the next chapter up on either Monday or Tuesday. :)**


	34. Chapter 34

**READ IT! Some of you need to review...otherwise, I'll do what I did last time and stop posting for a LOOOOOOOONG time. Because it's the reviews that effect how fast I post chapters. Just saying. **

**Yes...that was a threat. :)**

**And I will thank all of you others who review my story regularly. :) I really am thankful for that. You guys who review are what keep me going. So, other non-reviewing people...if you want to be thanked and feel special or whatever...REVIEW!**

**Now. Enjoy. FYI...I don't own this game. **

* * *

><p><strong>Shift Gears, Petal to the Metal, and Gasp.<strong>

"I was adopted by the Fayth," I explained slowly, and eyebrows were immediately raised, "and I was too young to remember my…mortal parents, but it never really mattered to me because Ida was always my mother from the day I was adopted to the day I was sent back down here."

"Who's…Ida?" Tidus asked slowly with a squinted up face. I smiled a small smile.

"She's my foster mother, if you will, and she's one of the Fayth who are one of the caretakers of the Farplane." Already, I could tell more questions were about to be asked, so I quickly began speaking again, hoping I would address them all in one speech.

"I didn't know why I was chosen…not until I was told about Shadow. He was the creature I just destroyed. I was created this way, basically, to save this world from him. He used to be a Fayth like them…but when he started to crave power, he had to be thrown out, but…he managed to obtain power and become more and more dangerous to Spira."

"And you've been hiding this secret…for how long?" Yuna asked quietly.

"Since I was thirteen, basically. When I started noticing changes in myself and saw none of these in the people in Spira I decided something was wrong with me…that I shouldn't tell anyone because I thought of myself as a freak at the time."

"Wow. I can see why-" Tidus quickly stopped as he realized how that sounded and tried to cover up. "I mean, I can see why someone would…" I chuckled a little as I shook my head.

"No, it's fine. As I got older, I grew accustomed to it, always being careful...and it wasn't until after I joined this Pilgrimage did I begin to open up a little more." I shrugged a little as I said this and I saw Yuna smile.

"I can remember how you used to be so rough and quiet. You wouldn't say much to any of us in the beginning unless you really had to." I nodded, as well as a few others. "It's because of you guys that I'm more myself, now."

The suspicion level lowered immensely and I sighed in relief and decided to continue explaining Shadow and my past.

"When I met Shadow for the first time in Rin's Inn, that was when my mother- Ida, began to explain my existence and why I was the way I was. I had a mission, and that was to destroy Shadow."

"And now…your mission is over." Rikku pointed out and I nodded before pausing a moment to think about that.

_My mission IS over. Wow...so then...that means..._

"So, how does Rin come into all this?" Lulu suddenly asked and I turned to look at her, then looked at Rin and realized…_wait...__what about the other people?_

_They are safe, Cynyr. We've taken them to safety with their memories erased. _Ida whispered to me.

"Rin…was someone Shadow could use to get to me." I began slowly.

"And I thank you for saving me." Rin said with a nod and a smile. I nodded back.

"Shadow got all of his power from other people." I continued to explain. "When I was inside the vortex, I saw the people, the things he had taken! He had taken Summoners, Priests, fiends, anything that he could get his hands on, and even tried to get other people's souls...people I knew...like you." I looked straight at Rikku first when I said this, the Yuna, then to the rest of them. Everyone looked back in bewilderment.

"I couldn't let Shadow do that…and-"

"The cave" I looked up in surprise upon hearing Auron's voice.

"What?"

"You were trying to protect Rikku…Yuna, and Lulu in the cave at Gagazet…weren't you?"

"Oh, yeah, I remember that, ya." Wakka added, then looked at Tidus with a nod.

"Yeah, when we thought you were trying to kill…them." Tidus replied softly towards the end as he thought a little deeper about that day. I simply nodded.

Suddenly, there was an awkward and very long silence as everyone seemed to look down or glance up at one another nervously.

Confused, I watched their faces as Wakka shook his head and Rikku pursed her lips, Kimahri shuffled uncomfortably, Lulu and Yuna glanced at one another, Tidus sighed heavily, and Auron, well…he was staring at me as if amazed.

"Guys…?" I began slowly, then Auron began to stand up, followed by the others.

"I believe we owe you both an apology _and_ a thank you." He said, then held his hand down to me and I hesitated a moment, looking from his hand to his face, and then to the others. They all had a soft look upon their faces, gratefulness shinning in their eyes. I relaxed, and finally, I smiled and took his hand. He pulled me to my feet, then Tidus quickly spoke up first.

"Yeah! Now, everyone a group hug!"

Immediately, he ran forwards and hugged my side as I moved my wings out of his way and then quickly, everyone followed his example. Even Auron!

I stood, stunned for several seconds as I felt the love that was pouring out of everyone's arms into my soul, and I felt tears prick my eyes, but I quickly shut them to stop them from falling. An amazing warm feeling immediately filled my heart and I felt like a giant weight had just been taken off my shoulders.

"Thanks guys." I said softly, then Kimahri suddenly walked up to us -I hadn't even noticed he'd been standing away from the group hug- and everyone moved away to look up at him. I met those large golden eyes as he seemed to smile a little, but I couldn't read his expression.

Then, he spoke.

"Kimahri know he won't crush Lady Cynyr. So, Kimahri hug."

Before I could say anything, he quickly wrapped his large furry arms around me and I beamed with happiness and laughed a little as I returned his hug.

"Thanks Kimahri." Then, as we pulled away, I suddenly realized something.

"Rikku, what did you tell your father when you went to "distract" him?" Rikku smiled.

"Oh, I told him we were all "healing up" after the fight we had with the "fiend" from earlier. He actually believed-"

"Hey! Rikku!" Cid suddenly shouted over the intercom and we looked up in surprise.

"Can I play this damn music or what? We've still got Sin to kill you know!" Rikku laughed nervously and we all seemed a bit embarrassed from not realizing that sooner.

"Oh, yeah! Go on and play it, pops!" Rikku called back, and in a few seconds, the air was filled with the soothing music of the Fayth singing.

"So, Cynyr…" Wakka suddenly said from behind me, and I quickly turned to him.

"What about all those other Summoners inside the vortex? All those other people, ya?"

I bit my lip as I remembered what my mother had told me and replied as everyone else tuned in to hear my answer as well, "Ida said that they were taken back to a safe place…but with their memories erased of anything they knew of Shadow…"

"I see…" Wakka said slowly.

"Does this mean…our memories will be erased too, Cynyr?" Rin popped the question everyone was thinking, and I paused a moment as I listened carefully to what Ida was saying.

"Um…I wouldn't worry about it…" I replied nervously, biting my lip again, but trying to keep a small smile on my face.

"We wouldn't tell anyone anyway, ya?" Wakka added.

"Yeah…we're your friends, after all." Tidus pointed out confidently, a hand on his hip. I nodded, but said nothing.

"I wonder if everyone's singing along now?" Rikku said, changing the subject, which I was relieved to hear.

"I hope everyone got the message." Wakka muttered with crossed arms.

"Yu Yevon's somewhere inside," Tidus began, "and we're going to find him." I smiled at this, then looked over at Yuna. She was standing with a peaceful look on her face, hope in her eyes as she held a hand to her was listening to the Fayth sing.

Then, my eyes caught sight of Auron, and as if he had sensed me looking at him, he turned almost immediately and locked eyes with me. My heart leaped inside my chest and I felt like I couldn't look away. Then, for some reason…I suddenly longed to run to him and wrap my arms around him.

_I really…do love you, Auron. _

I gave him the slightest smile and, for a moment, it seemed like he had smiled back. Although his mouth was hidden behind his collar, the skin under his eye gave it away. I bit my lip quickly, stopping myself from beaming with joy, because I had him smile back at him. He actually smiled back, and it was on his own.

On the inside, however, I was giggling with joy like a little kid.

I quickly turned away and looked up at the sky now, wondering when Sin would come. I was getting anxious to fight, my fingers ready to grasp the hilt of my sword, the muscles in my legs and arms tensed and ready to release some energy. Even my brain was ready to give the order to run.

"Sin! Twelve o'clock!" Cid suddenly shouted over the intercom, and we all immediately rushed forward and looked over the edge of the ship. We were really high up, but it wasn't hard to spot Sin. There he was, slowly rising from the depths towards the ship, ready to kill.

"Alright!" Tidus shouted with a fist in the air. "We're going in!"

"How we gonna get inside?" Wakka asked quickly.

"The easy way, how else!" Tidus exclaimed as he turned to Wakka.

"Figures." Rikku said with a smile.

"Rin." I said as I turned to the Inn keeper. He looked up at me immediately. "I would suggest that you go back inside. It won't be safe up here for long."

Rin nodded with a small smile. "Of course. I wish you all the best." Then, he turned and walked quickly towards the elevator doors just as Cid came back on the intercom.

"Now, wait a minute! How are you planning on getting inside?"

"If we can't get through the mouth, we'll rip open a new one. You with me?" Tidus shouted back at him. Cid suddenly began to laugh a big hearty laugh and for a moment, I thought he was going to say something like, "you're an idiot, kid!" But I was pleasantly surprised.

"Now that's what I call a plan!" He shouted, and we all seemed to smile at this.

"Okay, we'll give that thing a new blowhole. All you gotta do is jump!" Cid added.

"Roger!" Tidus shouted.

"I won't tell you to be careful," Cid began again, "do your worst out there!"

"Right." Then, Tidus suddenly turned to Yuna and smiled as he pulled something out of his pocket.

"Yuna!" She turned to him and I looked up as I recognized the object in his hand.

"You don't need this anymore, right?" When Yuna saw the sphere, she gasped and looked at herself in amazement, surprised that the sphere had somehow dropped from her person and Tidus had been the one to find it.

"Right?" Tidus asked again, but didn't wait for an answer. Immediately, he chucked it hard over the ship's edge before turning back to her with a smile. Lucky for him, she smiled back and nodded.

Suddenly, the ship began to shake and Wakka quickly called to us from the edge.

"Hey, guys, that ain't good is it?" We looked to see what he was talking about, and there, before us as Sin hovered in front of the airship, a source of energy began to form in front of its mouth, just like the one from Mushroom Rock.

Suddenly, a giant wave of energy surged from it, flying right up to the ship to cause it to shake violently again. It was then that we realized that Sin was trying to pull us in. The waves of the ocean beneath us were even pulling upwards.

Then, Sin opened his mouth wider and still wider, until everything around us suddenly became quiet. The ship was still, the sky was calm, but below us, the ocean seemed to have parted, a wall of blue on each side. Even the sky looked like a tunnel, and it dawned on us that we were in the eye of the calm.

Sin had warped the Earth.

Then, all at once, the oceans water ahead began to collapse inward, and it rushed quickly down inside the tunnel towards us. We gasped in shock then realized we were right in the path of the growing explosion.

Before we had enough time to get out of the way, the ship was immediately struck and it swerved violently as we were almost thrown off the deck. Most of us were on our knees, but...Tidus was flat on his face.

When things began to settle a little, Cid's voice called over the intercom urgently.

"Hey, I saw something shine at the base of Sin's arm! I reckon it's a weak spot!" Suddenly, the airship jerked and we heard Rikku's brother shout something in Al Bhed. Just as I was translating it, Rikku got ahead of me and told us.

"Sin's pulling us in!"

"Everyone, back inside!" Cid demanded, but it was too late. We were already too close to Sin and it was about time we started battle.

"Lets go!" Tidus shouted, and both him, Auron, and me ran up first. We could see the shining spot on Sin's arm that Cid was talking about, but we were too far away to reach it.

"Closer! Get closer!" Tidus shouted.

"Just a minute!" Cid exclaimed.

"Cynyr!" Lulu shouted from behind me. "Let me try!" I nodded and ran back as she ran forward to take my spot, and immediately she cast her magic on Sin's arm. Auron soon pulled out as well, letting Yuna come in, and she used Holy before coming back again with Flare.

"Don't be falling now! Cid warned as he suddenly began to move the airship closer to Sin's arm. This time, we were close enough, for anyone who had swords, to attack.

So, Auron ran back into the battle, switching with Lulu, and struck Sin next. Immediately afterwards, Sin attacked back, sticking the side of the ship violently. This caused everyone to stumble and seemed to weaken the ones at the front.

Now, Kimahri and Wakka came up, Kimahri striking first, and then Wakka. Soon after, Lulu and Yuna switched out with them and cast Flare again, and this seemed to be doing the trick. Then, the core on Sin's arm suddenly began to spark with electricity as it gathered up energy to try and defend itself.

Suddenly, after a few more attacks, Cid called out to us over the intercom again.

"Okay, everyone hold onto something! Here we go!"

The airship immediately moved away from Sin to give one another a wide birth, and then there was the sound of something like metal moving quickly underneath us. He was pulling out the big guns.

Immediately, we held onto whatever was available like Cid had ordered, and suddenly there was a burst of light that streamed like lightening from under the ship all the way to Sin's arm.

We watched in amazement as there was a bit of an explosion of light and the arm on Sin came off, falling from the rest of his body slowly.

"Got him!" Tidus shouted with excitement.

"Couldn't have done it without ya!" Cid shouted back. Now, it was back into battle again. It was time to dismember the other fin.

"Alright! Everyone look sharp," Cid shouted loudly as he drew the airship back up next to Sin, "it's time to hit the other side!"

"Easy for you to say!" Rikku exclaimed as she got into her battle stance. Immediately, we began to go into battle again, Lulu, Wakka, and Yuna going up first as the rest of us gave them a wide birth, ready to be called out if needed.

Flare was cast, Blitz balls were thrown, and Holy was given. Cid then moved the ship a little closer so that the rest of us with swords could hit Sin as well. In a matter of minutes, I was called out, as well as Auron and Kimahri.

We did our damage and the same thing happened again to the last arm like the other. It sparked and the core gathered energy as Tidus was switching out with Kimahri and both Yuna and Lulu were immediately called back in. Then, when all we could do was done, Cid called out, "FIRE!" Once again, the guns below shot at Sin's arm and it fell from his body like the first.

"Yeeeeeeehaw! Where to next?" Cid asked with excitement, but then there was a sudden argument from him and his son. I tried to listen to their conversation, trying to translate what they were saying, but Rikku once again got there before me.

"The main gun's busted!" Rikku shouted to the rest of us.

_I knew that…I was getting there anyway. _

"Alright! Back inside!" Cid called out over the intercom. "Time for a new plan!"

"No!" Tidus shouted back quickly, and we all turned to him in surprise. "Every Blitzer knows, you got a ball? You gotta score!"

"A day with you is never dull!" Lulu commented suddenly, then ran towards the edge of the ship and jumped off.

"Hey," Tidus shouted after her, "star players first!" and he too ran to jump off the edge. The rest of us quickly followed, although, I let myself swoop down instead of just letting myself drop.

After a quick fall, we all landed one after the other on Sin's back. Everyone seemed to land pretty steadily on their feet…except Wakka. He came down like an Shoopuf and landed on his rear with a "oof!"

Then, we saw another weak spot ahead and Tidus led the way with his sword already in his hand, but just as we were reaching the spot, a Sinspawn suddenly came up out of the flesh of Sin, blocking our way.

With an oddly shaped head in the middle and long tentacle like arms coming out from its round body, it emitted green smoke and Auron, Tidus, and Lulu ran up to the front first.

Tidus gave it a few quick hits, then Auron gave it a swing across the face, but he missed and I noticed he was looking a little weak. Suddenly, the Sinspawn closed himself back up in his shell, but Lulu cast Firaga and it was killed instantly.

Finally, we were allowed to attack the weak spot on Sin's back. Just as soon as we drew up close to the core, though, it immediately gathered energy and sparked.

_I can already tell this one's going to be harder to destroy._

Auron drew out as well as Lulu and Tidus, replaced by Yuna, Rikku, and Kimahri. Rikku was able to steal something from it, but it suddenly attacked back unexpectedly. A burst of black and purple energy collapsed around them and there was the sound of electricity snapping as it began to wound them.

Immediately, the three of them were weakened, badly, and Wakka called out to Rikku, quickly switching places with her. He gave Yuna and Kimahri, including himself, a potion and all three of them were healed.

More and more times of switching were occurring, but instead of getting the upper hand we were suddenly realizing that we were being weakened more than we were able to attack the core to weaken it.

It had gathered more energy, attacked with fire, blizzard, ans water and Tidus was having to cast Hastega on everyone more and more.

_This doesn't look good. _I thought to myself as I began chewing on my bottom lip nervously.

_Wait! What if I…were to use my power? _I wondered, hoping Ida would hear my thoughts and reply.

It worked.

_If you were to do so, you wouldn't be able to use all of it. You're like a machine. If you use too much...you'll overheat._ I understood this, andI smiled, already feeling the power inside me warm up my very soul.

_Now to put this power to use again!_

"Kimahri!" I shouted, and the blue Ronso already knew to run back without having to look. Immediately, I took his place and Tidus gave me an annoyed look.

"It's about time!"

I grinned and held my hands up in front of me, letting an orb grow between them. Then, when it had gotten to about half the size of a Blitz ball, I held it like it was one and threw it hard at the center of the sparking core. Immediately, my orb of Enerugi exploded against the core and it erupted dramatically before wilting like a flower.

"Sweet!" Tidus shouted as he threw his sword up into the air. "See, we were doing all this crap for nothing!" He added this as he caught his sword and swung it once to the left.

"All this time, you could have just jumped in and-" he stopped to stick his tongue out, making a farting noise, "got it all done!"

"Well, excuse me!" I elongated on the "u" as I said this, a hand on my hip as I made a face at Tidus. "It's just that I thought you guys didn't need any help until now!"

"Dude, we're fighting _Sin!_"

"Really?" I said with sarcasm, "I had no idea!"

"Then why-"

"Stop arguing, the both of you!" Lulu quickly intervened and I quickly looked away from Tidus to Lulu and he did the same.

"Sorry."

"Yeah…sorry." Tidus muttered.

Suddenly, we heard the airship near us and we quickly made for it as we could hear Cid shouting.

"Get on! Quick!"

As soon as we had jumped aboard the deck, we watched -staying low- as Sin began to descend all the way down towards the ocean near Bevelle. I could just make out the hundreds of people that stood around on the beach, watching in awe as Sin came down fast.

He completely missed the water, crashing onto the shore first then finally sliding down into the water with a huge splash. The airship rose back up and we watched from a distance as a gigantic cloud of dust bloomed upwards, like an explosion.

_I hope no one got hurt. _I thought worriedly as everyone began to turn and hurry back down inside the ship. As I followed, I made sure to close my wings close to my back so I'd be able to walk through the doorways.

Just as we entered the Bridge, Rikku's brother congratulated us and Cid turned to us just as Yuna spoke.

"It's going to come back…isn't it?" Tidus walked past her, a determined look on his face as he began to answer.

"I know."

"What!" Cid exclaimed loudly in disbelieve. "You're kidding me!"

"No!" Tidus said while spinning around to face us all. "We have to beat the guy inside Sin!"

"The Crusaders would be out of the job if it was this easy, ya?" Wakka commented.

"But it _has _weakened, I'm sure of it!" Lulu said quickly.

"Yeah! We're winning!" Rikku exclaimed with excitement.

"Alright!" Cid began. "I'll do what I can with the main gun." With that, he walked out of the Bridge, probably to go below to start fixing it to work again.

Almost as soon as he'd left, I decided to go back up on the deck. I wanted to be up closest to the sky and clouds and just be in a peaceful state for a while. There was a lot to think about in so little time, and there was some thinking I needed to do before we continued on to defeat Sin.

On my way out of the Bridge, I passed Auron, and for a moment we looked at each other and I gave him the slightest smile like last time. I wasn't sure if he returned it or not, because I was already turning back to the hall as I walked on.

I climbed the stairs and didn't pass but maybe one or two people. They weren't really paying much attention to me anyway, so I didn't worry much about them seeing my wings. I was surprised Cid hadn't said anything, but then he was probably so busy thinking about Sin and the gun that he didn't really pay much attention to the rest of us anyway.

I was climbing the stairs to the top floor and was about to head for the elevator when I spotted Rin standing at one of the windows. Ironically, it was the one that I had been standing at when Shadow gave me the death message. I chill run up my spin at the sudden thought of Shadow, so I quickly pushed him out of my mind. Instead, I breathed in deeply and let it out slowly to calm myself and walked over to Rin.

"Hey there."

Rin immediately turned to the sound of my voice and he seemed to quickly change his expression, and he even looked nervous. I raised a brow at him as I stood in front of him with my arms crossed.

"You okay?"

"Ye-yes, I'm fine. What about you?" He asked quickly. I smiled a small smile as I walked over to the window and looked out, sighing a little.

"I'm not sure." I began. "I think I'm okay, but I can't really say. So…I'll get back to you on that one when I know." Rin chuckled as he pulled his hands behind his back and looked out the window as well.

"You, on the other hand," I began again, slowly looking over at him with a knowing look on my face, "are _not _well." Rin met my eyes and was about to respond, but I quickly stopped him from doing so as I continued.

"You've been imprisoned inside Shadow for a long time…what makes you think I don't know better?" Rin sighed in defeat and looked down a moment before returning his eyes to me.

"Cynyr…why do you care so much?"

I looked at him for a long time when he asked this, without answering, as I searched for that answer, my mind swirling with so many other thoughts that wanted to be let out; it was hard to concentrate.

"Because I can." I finally said, slowly as my thoughts began to come together. "Because I can chose to care or not…because it's possible, and because I love all of my friends…I'll do whatever it takes to show them that…and to just be able to be with them a little bit longer."

Rin blinked in surprise, but I had to admit, I was a little surprised myself.

_What did I mean by that? _

It was crazy that _I_ even had to ask myself that question, but so much was going on, it was no surprise that things would start to get confusing.

"Well…thank you, again, Cynyr. I really do appreciate your help. Especially for saving my life." I smiled and hit his arm in a playful manner as I walked past him towards the elevator.

"No problem."

Upon reaching the deck, I let the wind blow away at my hair as I stood in one spot for several seconds, then, I walked out farther away from the door. I picked a random spot near the edge and sat down, looking out across the sky and clouds as I began to go deep in thought.

_Lets face it, Cynyr. _I began with myself. _You don't have much time left. _I sighed heavily, my shoulders lifting then coming down like there was weight on them.

"Once we defeat Sin, it'll be over." I thought aloud. "My last mission…completed."

_Remember what to do…once you've defeated Sin. _My mother suddenly said, and I nodded to myself as I remembered the conversation we had in the Calm Lands.

"I still remember."

"Remember what?"

I spun around to sound of Auron's voice, and he stood about six feet away from me before he began walking towards me. I was surprised I hadn't heard the doors of the elevator opening before hearing him.

"Oh…I was just talking to myself." I replied softly as he sat down beside me.

For a long time, there was silence between us and I began to feel a little uncomfortable because of that silence. I knew I wanted peace, but this wasn't exactly peace. I felt that there needed to be something said, but I could _not_ think of _anything! _As I continued to rack my brain for something, Auron finally spoke.

_I think his mind is always clear. _

"When you rolled off the side of the ship…" I looked up at him in surprise, holding my breath, "I have to admit…I thought you were gone. Just like that."

I looked down a moment as I drew my knees up and wrapped my arms loosely around them as I thought about that scary moment. Heck, I thought I was a goner too. Then, I was about to say something, but Auron beat me to it.

"Your face flashed in my mind…everything we ever talked about, all the battles we fought together, all those memories…they flashed through my mind and I wondered for a moment..." he paused and I slowly looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Was there ever a chance I could have said something before you died?"

I blinked in surprise, looking at Auron with disbelief. He met my eyes and I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came. I wasn't sure what to say; I wasn't even sure what to think. Suddenly, he smirked.

"When I saw you come up out of that vortex like a bolt of lightening, I didn't know what to think." He chuckled a little to himself and I smiled.

"Your faces were hilarious. I could have laughed out loud on the spot." I said with amusement.

"Huh!" Auron laughed.

"That was the last thing I expected…" he said suddenly, "to find you with large beautiful, white wings on your back."

I smiled as I felt a blush coming to my cheeks, then I bit my lip thoughtfully as I turned back to him and he looked at me with a raised brow.

"Would you…like to touch it?" I asked quietly, and that brow seemed to raise a little higher, causing me to laugh a little. Then, he glanced over at my folded wings and I slowly let one of them stretch out. I was still holding onto my lip with my teeth as I watched him slowly reach up, then gently touch the arch of my wing with his finger tips.

"Don't worry, I won't bite." I chuckled, and he seemed a little amused as well, but finally began to stroke my wing and I smiled.

_I never knew he could be so gentle. _

"They're really soft." Auron suddenly commented, but kept his gaze on my wing when I looked up at him. I smiled again.

Finally, after a long time of him just petting my wing, he looked up at me and I met his gaze steadily. I _really_ looked into that one brown eye of his, my heart pounding harder and harder inside my chest, but I felt…happiness there.

"You're beautiful."

My eyes grew wide for a moment, then I quickly tried to stop myself from grinning like a goof ball as I looked away from him quickly, my face already heating up.

_H-he…called my beautiful! _

My heart was pounding so fast inside my chest that I could hear it in my ears. I feared Auron might hear it, but he chuckled at my response, then suddenly took my chin in his hand and turned my head so I was forced to look at him.

"You are." He said with seriousness. "Inside _and_ out." He loosened his grip on me a little and slid his hand farther up my jaw as I averted my eyes from him momentarily.

"You're not just saying that…because…of my wings?"

"I've always found you beautiful, Cynyr." Now he rubbed his thumb across my cheek. "Your wings only make you more so." I immediately blushed again, but looked back up at him and I realized his face was closer to mine then before. I let myself lean in a little too, my heart racing once again.

_Is this it? _ I thought with hope as I felt my heart sigh. _I_s_ he finally going to kiss me? _ Now, inches away from one another, I was just beginning to close my eyes when Rikku's voice suddenly called out over the intercom.

"Hey, you two!" We jumped. "Come down here! Something's happening to Sin!" Quickly, the two of us drew away from one another, and an awkward silence followed.

_It never fails. SOMEONE ALWAYS interrupts! _

"I-we um…we better go inside." I suggested quietly, and Auron nodded as we both rose and began walking back to the door of the elevator.

Once we entered the Bridge, I suddenly caught sight of Tidus. He was looking at me, his arms crossed, and he had a smirk-ish kind of smile on his face with an eyebrow raised.

I frowned.

"So, did you tell him?" He asked as he walked over to me, unfolding his arms to put a hand on his hip. My frown deepened as my frustration began to rise up again.

"Have you told _her?_"

He immediately sighed as he dropped his hand.

"Look, I just thought, because you two were out there alone that you would ha-"

"Well, the main gun is still busted." Cid suddenly interrupted, and we both looked up at him. "We can't give you any cover fire."

"Hey, just take us in." Tidus said with confidence. "We'll do the rest!" He looked around at the others and we all either smiled, nodded- everyone pretty much giving their own body language of agreement.

"Alright!" Cid began as he walked over to where his son was steering the ship. "Take us up!" He ordered. "Flush to the mouth! No mistakes, or I'm gonna tear out that mop that you call hair!"

"Trust me!" The boy began slowly, trying to speak in our language the best he could. "Me take you there! Uh…no problem, ya!" I quickly covered my mouth to stop the laugh as I looked over at Wakka.

"Lets get ready to Blitz!" Tidus shouted with excitement, flashing me a smirk as I continued to contain my laughter.

On our way out, running quickly through the halls, we suddenly passed by Rin and he waved to us as he shouted, "I wish you luck!"

"Thanks!" Both Tidus and I shouted back, then grinned at each other before he quickly said, "Jinx." I rolled my eyes at his childish behavior, but chuckled with slight amusement.

The elevator doors opened and we all rushed out on the deck as the wind caught our hair in its hands and blew them away from our faces.

Squinting slightly, we walked over to the edge and stood in awe as Sin, who had now grown or developed some sort of fan like wings around his head, was now lifting off a tall steeple below in Bevelle.

He was like a large parrot perched like that, then suddenly taking flight, but he became like an angry parrot as he came flying towards us. His long tail swung back and forth behind him as he seemed to eye us angrily, getting ready for our next attack.

"Here we go!" Cid called over the intercom.

"Yeah!" Tidus shouted. "I'm coming for ya! _Dad!_" With this said, we pulled out our weapons and the three first warriors ran forward. Tidus, Yuna, and Lulu. Almost immediately, the ship began to move forward, but it wasn't Cid moving the ship, it was Sin.

He was already drawing us in.

From a closer perspective of his face, he looked larger, more intimidating than before. Even when we were close to the side of his body it was fearful, but nothing could compare to this close up.

Lulu attacked first, Firaga bursting on Sin's armor and after several more hits from the others, he immediately drew closer to us. As the attacks on him continued -him also giving some hardcore attacks- we began to see his mouth open up.

Wider and wider it opened as we weakened him more and more. It almost looked as though he were panting, like he was showing how tired he was becoming. I couldn't believe he was actually letting us know how weakened it was.

_Can this be real? _I thought in amazement.

Suddenly, Sin opened his mouth wide, and still wider as screams emitted from his throat and a sudden bright white light overcame his body, forming a circle like there was an opening there. We stared in awe as we stood back, watching and hearing Pyerflies in the distance. Then, Sin began to draw us in as Cid also began driving us through.

Then, the sky changed. The clouds were a brown and pink color, forming a tunnel around us as the colors of blue, purple, and magenta surrounded us. Up ahead was Sin, and we were headed straight for him. There were gasps from the others as we looked around in amazement, then the bright light ahead got brighter.

We closed our eyes against it as our pupils squeezed, then we suddenly found ourselves in a place where everything was a dark blue. Above us, Pyerflies were flying around freely, while below, there were clouds of brown again. Then, just as quickly as everything had changed, it changed again.

The atmosphere became darker and there was a sudden deep and evil laugh that we all recognized immediately. We gasped when the image of a large blue eye opened in front of us, then we cried out in fear as it passed through and the air rushed passed us like we were suddenly being pushed.

Then, everything suddenly became calm again, but as everyone was looking over their shoulder, I had frozen in place. As Seymour's laugh had passed us, I had heard a second laugh that followed. I wasn't sure if anyone else had heard it, but I had and I felt myself pale.

_Cynyr! _My mother exclaimed. _We have trouble! _I squeezed my eyes tightly closed as I waited for her to say it, to say what I already knew she was going to say, but deep down I wished it wasn't true.

_Shadow's back. And he's not alone._

* * *

><p><strong>Ha! Cliff hanger! Now, all you people who are reading this but never review...REVIEW! Please! I'm freaking begging you! <strong>

**Just say SOMETHING about this chapter! You can't be THAT speechless. *rolls eyes* Say something about how you feel about this cliff hanger, just...UGH! Never mind, I've done my best...I've tried. So no one can say I didn't. **

**Just know that I've been up until 2 in the morning trying to write all these chapters for you good people. The least you can do is review. Not complaining. Just a little frustrated and confused to why you won't review. **

**Okay! Anyways! *tries to get back into good mood.* I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It took me a long time to make it, I put a lot of effort into it, I enjoyed it, so be looking for the next chapter in the next few days. **


	35. Chapter 35

**Two things: Poll, Review after reading, Forum: "In My Arms" Discussion.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX. I own only my characters and ideas. **

* * *

><p><strong>Strange<strong>

I stood frozen in place, my breath coming out ragged as my heart seemed to have stopped inside my chest.

_How did this happen? _I asked, and I was surprised at how calm I had asked that.

_Shadow has managed to escape our restrains! _

I took in a breath, trying to take this in and began to glance around as I already began to feel the evil presence of Shadow surrounding me.

_But Cynyr, that's not all._ I held my breath.

_He has joined minds with Seymour. _I gasped and immediately drew attention from the others.

"Cynyr? What's wrong?" Lulu asked first, and I slowly turned to face everyone as I tried to keep a little more calm.

"Guys, there's trouble."

"What?" Wakka exclaimed in surprise.

"Ida has just informed me that Shadow has just managed to escape them."

"What? No!" Rikku cried out and there were several gasps from the others as well.

"Wait." I quickly said before anyone could speak, and everyone turned back to me immediately. "There's more…"

"You're kidding." Tidus replied while crossing his arms over his chest. I shook my head. "In order to survive here, he has joined minds with Seymour, but that makes it all the worse."

"Whoa! Seriously?" Wakka exclaimed in amazement.

"It'll be more dangerous, now, in here." Lulu commented.

"Well, Cynyr…" Tidus began suddenly from the back, and everyone hushed, turning to him as he seemed to smirk a little at me. I frowned at this expression, thinking he might try to turn this into a childish joke.

"It looks like this time," he glanced around at the others, "you'll need all of us to help you." My face relaxed.

"He's right." Lulu added with a nod.

"Yeah!" Rikku exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air.

"We'll help in any way we can, Cynyr." Yuna said with a smile.

"We're all with you." Auron then said from the back, and I smiled as I let a relieved sigh leave me.

"Thanks…I really don't think I could do it by myself anyway."

"That's what friends are for, ya. To help each other, ya?" Wakka looked around at the others for agreement and everyone nodded and smiled, those that I could see.

Suddenly, the airship began to lower and we soon realized Cid was about to land the airship. We immediately walked back inside before Cid could tell us to do so, then went straight to the hatch that would open for us to be let out.

"We're almost there." I heard Tidus mutter under his breath, and I looked to find his brows knit together and his eyes in flame with anger and determination. He was thinking about his father.

Then, I began to wonder if he had ever loved his father once…maybe as a child, but…even I could see that Jecht loved Tidus. When we were in Zanarkand and that last memory we saw of Jecht telling Auron to take care of his son and all…I could tell there was still love for him, it just surprised me that Tidus didn't seem to see this.

_Or perhaps he does…he's just been through so much to the point of rejecting that. He's not sure how to love back. How…sad. _

"Dad, where are you!" Tidus shouted immediately into the open space as we exited the ship.

"We must go to him." Auron quickly replied.

"Then we will!" Tidus then began to run past us. "Let me take front."

"Good luck." I heard Yuna say to him.

"Follow me."

The ground beneath our feet was filled with at least half an inch of water, our steps making sloshing sounds as we walked, but that wasn't the strangest part. Looking down, I realized the ground we were walking on wasn't much of an actual hard surface. It looked more like we were walking on a lake, because the whole place was just water!

Underneath it were clouds, or reflections of the clouds above, and fog hung around just like it would at a real lake. Either way, it looked weird and it was starting to creep me out.

Onward we walked, and as we did we saw glowing symbols lit up on the ground- er lake. Tidus would walk across each one of them, and we followed.

Suddenly, we came upon a dark waterfall of about six feet, and at first, it looked like we'd fall through it, but Tidus slid down it like a slide and the rest of us reluctantly followed through.

_Man, the inside of Sin is weird! I wonder what else we'll come across. _

It wasn't going to be in the next twenty minutes, because Tidus continued to walk on and on and on…without getting us anywhere. We were all beginning to think he was lost and he had gotten us ALL lost.

"'We're almost there', he says, 'follow me', he says…Tidus, you're lost!" I called up at him. He immediately stopped walking, followed by the rest of us as he turned to look over his shoulder at me. I stood with my arms crossed as I watched him glare at me menacingly.

"We are _not _lost."

"We're lost." Auron growled from beside me. I glanced up at him then turned back to Tidus with a smirk. Tidus immediately rolled his eyes and sighed with exasperation.

"Okay! We're lost! Happy?" He turned all the way around to face us now. "So, what? You think you can lead better?" He crossed his arms over his chest and gave _me _a smirk with a raised brow.

"Challenge accepted."

"Huh." Auron laughed. "Competitive much?"

"Even more so if I find out I'm lost too." I remarked as I started for the front. Tidus and I looked at one another as we passed, then I stood at the front and glanced around the empty space of fog and glowing symbols that were scattered randomly on the lake's surface.

"Lets see what you've got." Tidus said with sarcasm from behind me. So, I did. We walked, and walked…and walked, for another good twenty minutes. The more we walked and the less we found I began to feel less and less confident in myself.

_I was sure I could do this. I know…that we have to go this way, though. _As I continued on with more and more hope leaving me, I could _feel _Tidus's eyes burning a hole in the back of my head, and I could already see that stupid smirk on his face.

_Er…Ida? _

_ No._

I sighed softly to myself in defeat. Even my mother wasn't going to help me out.

_You got yourself into this, so there is no way I'm going to take part in something so childish as proving someone wrong. _I rolled my eyes at my mother's thoughts.

_We're just messing with each other. _Immediately, my mother began to laugh as she already knew there was more to it than that, and I felt my face burn with embarrassment.

"Well?" Tidus said suddenly from behind me and I bit down hard on my lip to keep myself from speaking.

"Huh? Cynyr?" Still, I did not answer.

"Yeah…I thought so." Tidus snorted and I bit down on my tongue this time. Hard.

_Okay, seriously, I know I can do this on my own. I've got more than just wings, Enerugi, the strength of two men, and a large lung capacity! I have instinct AND a sense of direction. I'm sure of it. _

I continued to tell myself that as we continued to walk on in a little more silence, but Tidus soon interrupted that sweet sound.

"Give up already. You're too prideful. You obviously can't lead the way either."

Again, I kept my mouth shut, but I knew it wouldn't be long before I opened it, because Tidus had a way of getting to me. I didn't know how or why, but he just _really, really…_got on my nerves when I was trying to concentrate.

"Cynyr…" Yuna suddenly said quietly.

"I'm starting to agree with Tidus here." Rikku quickly said from the back, but I just kept walking as I felt the urge to continue on. Something inside me was telling me to walk more towards the right, and I followed that feeling.

Then, I smiled and came to an abrupt stop.

"We're here."

"What?" Tidus exclaimed in disbelief and everyone stopped to look, but Tidus came up to stand beside me. His arms were crossed again and I finally looked over at him.

"We're not _here. _All I see is more lake, fog, and those stupid symbols!"

"Of course you do." I replied calmly as I continued to smile.

"Cynyr, I don't see anything." Yuna began softly as she drew up to the other side of me.

"Neither do I." Lulu agreed, and I sighed.

"See. You failed." Tidus quickly said, his smirk returning to his face. I raised a brow at this and looked out across the lake again.

_Wait for it...wait for it..._

"I haven't. You guys just aren't looking hard enough." I knew it would take them a while, because my eyesight was a lot sharper than theirs and they wouldn't be able to tell until the fog moved.

"I see it." Auron said after a while, and I turned back to Tidus with another knowing smile.

"See."

"No. No, I don't see!" He exclaimed in exasperation, but he knew now that he was losing at this little game of "proving the other wrong" because Auron had even claimed to have seen it too.

"How do I know you're not kidding?" Tidus asked suddenly, turning to Auron, the question directed at him. Auron immediately gave him a look of Do-I-Really-Look-Like-the-Type-to-Play-Such-Childish-Games, and this immediately shut Tidus up.

"Oh, I see it now!" Yuna said suddenly with excitement, and began to run forward. Kimahri quickly went after her.

"So do I!"

"Me too!"

"Hey, I see it too, ya!" Now I looked over at Tidus and he was slowly turning back to where everyone was running to and he let his arms drop.

"See?" I asked with amusement, then began walking away with Auron behind me as he followed, and Tidus finally came last.

_Okay...that was pure luck because that was extremely hard to find! _

Ahead, was a tall staircase that went up to landing and we all arrived at the base of it. Then, we stopped and turned to Tidus.

"Okay, okay, you win, Cynyr!" He sighed. "Sheesh! Well, this time, I get to lead now!" Immediately, he did so, running to the front and we quickly followed behind.

When we reached the top we found ourselves looking at four purplish blue circles that held four other little circles on the inside. They were yellow, red, purple, and blue. Then, below them, we spotted Seymour, but he wasn't the same.

When we all gathered at the top of the stairs, we stopped and stared with wide eyes at his warped form as he laughed evilly, but his laugh was mixed with another.

I recognized it to be Shadow's.

Because he had joined his mind, Shadow's arm was now Seymour's left, his torso was twisted and hunched over as his garb seemed to be tied in knots all the way down to his feet.

Actually, I wasn't sure how he was standing because it looked as though he had no feet. In any case, Seymour's face was at least recognizable, but one eye was larger than the other, and it was glowing red.

"Whoa." Tidus muttered to himself, then glared up at Seymour.

"Don't you ever give up?"

"Don't forget…Shadow is a part of him too." I whispered to him.

"Sin has chosen me!" Seymour exclaimed, his voice mixing with that of Shadow's as it sounded more like there was an echo behind it, scratchy and hollow.

"And now, with even more power than before, I will destroy Spira once and for all!" Seymour continued. "I am part of Sin, and I am one with Sin, _forever immortal!_"

_I've got to say...the two of them could have been brothers because not only would Seymour say that, but Shadow too._

"Sin just absorbed you." Tidus pointed out.

"I will learn to control it…from within! And I will conquer this world!" Now it sounded more like Shadow was speaking. "Both the Realm of the Fayth _and _Spira! You will all be slaves to me!"

_Is there any hope for Seymour to split with Shadow? _I asked Ida hopefully.

_There is, but…Seymour will never listen, and besides…his mind has closed off most of all that makes sense. _

I sighed.

"Alright, there's only one way to kill these two!" I shouted to everyone.

"Isn't there a way to separate them?" Rikku asked quickly.

"No. There's very little of that chance."

"Then, lets take it!" Tidus exclaimed, already getting his sword ready.

"Thanks to you, I will have all the time in the world to conquer you!" Seymour and Shadow shouted together, loudly over us, so as to get our attention again.

"Without Yunalesca, there is no other way to destroy Sin!" As they finished this sentence, their bodies suddenly began to grow and transform into something even more warped.

"We can stop you!" Tidus shouted up at him.

"By all means try!" Seymour laughed with amusement, and he suddenly grew wings from his back as he got ever taller. "Your death means your father's life!"

Seymour was speaking to Tidus now, but Tidus ran forward first and immediately went into overdrive without waiting for anyone else to begin the battle.

Luckily, Lulu was ready with the Blitz ball in time, and he kicked it hard at Seymour before coming back down to land beside his sword. Auron was next, using Armor Break, then, I was coming up to the front to attack.

"Listen Tidus. There seriously isn't a chance that Seymour will actually listen to us and part with Shadow. Besides, Shadow is a lot stronger than he is."

"Then, we'll destroy them both." Tidus replied and I nodded before looking back up at Seymour.

Suddenly, the large eye on Seymour's face locked onto me and I tensed up a little.

"Ah, Cynyr, how nice of you to join us!" The voice of Shadow and Seymour collided with one another, creating something deep and mechanical.

"Shut it!" I shouted as I ran forward, Enerugi already in my hand as I ran it over my sword so it would absorb the power. Now, I went into overdrive, and I swung my sword hard and fast five times at the warped image of Seymour and Shadow.

Pain immediately took place inside the two and I quickly pulled back as I watched Seymour get ready to attack. I knew that inside that mind there was Shadow, and he was going to try and manipulate Seymour to strike me first.

"You will pay for that attack!" Seymour and Shadow exclaimed loudly, then he waved his hand upward, a ball of fire and energy gathering in his palm. He was going to attack with a fused element, Firaga and Shadow's black power.

_Black Fire?_

Immediately, Shadow's laugh erupted from Seymour's throat, taking over Seymour's mind for a moment as he suddenly threw the Black Fire down towards me. There were gasps from the others as they had no idea what power was coming down fast.

Quickly, I held up a shield in front of me fast enough, and the flaming black orb of Black Fire bounced off it, flying straight back at Shadow. Little did I realize that the Black Fire had just taken up with it some of my Enerugi.

Upon realizing this, I gasped in surprise as I stared up at Seymour and Shadow.

_No! How is that possible!_

I put my hands down and let the force field disappear as I watched Seymour and Shadow handle the ball from one hand to the other. As he did this, it grew bigger, brighter, and stronger.

I glared up at him angrily.

"How about we let your friends join in on the fun! Shall we?" Shadow's voice echoed along with Seymour's, then he raised the ball of Black Fire high above his head as the other two beside me gasped and took a step back, glancing over at me worriedly.

_That will surely kill them! _

"See if you can protect your friends _and _yourself now!" Shadow shrieked with laughter, then threw the ball down as hard as he could.

Unexpectedly, to me, it separated and became three balls of Black Fire and I quickly held both my hands up and pushed them outward as a shield formed immediately, thickening the wall and making it stretch as far as it would go.

Auron and Tidus both jumped back a little from the sudden appearance of the shield, then the three balls crashed down on the surface, causing a ripple in my shield but without passage. Then, I felt the Enerugi leave the Black Fire and I allowed to be restored back into my system, containing it carefully.

Now the orbs were collecting back together to form one giant orb, and I realized it wasn't going back to Shadow's hand. It was going to hit the shield again, in hopes of breaking through.

_If I can just hold it steady..._

Suddenly, I caught sight of Tidus in the corner of my eye, his arm outstretched. Looking again, I realized he was trying to touch the shield in front of him.

"Tidus! Don't touch it!" I shouted quickly, and he immediately jumped back in surprise, but a little embarrassed because he had been caught and could have caused himself to get hurt.

"Cynyr!" Auron called to me, and I turned to look at him, but the blast of Black Fire erupted against my shield again and I felt myself slide backwards as pain surged up through my arms. Both Auron and Tidus quickly moved back as the shield came too close to them.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed more strength into the shield, but it wouldn't be long before the Black Fire broke through the shield.

_Okay, this calls for desperate measures. _

Immediately, I opened my wings and with as much strength as possible, I flew up, minimizing the shield so it no longer served as a shield around three people. I rose up into the air, a dark expression on my face as I looked into that one red eye of Shadow.

The Black Fire immediately came back to his left hand and it disappeared there as he suddenly grinned at me.

"Come for more?" He said in a low and menacing voice.

_Now!_

I dropped the shield, held up my hands and threw a huge blast of Enerugi at his face. He hadn't expected this and it quickly enveloped him like fire, a bright light stabbing like knifes into his skin.

Immediately after my attack, I flew back down where the others were, my heart racing, my blood pumping along side my energy.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Cynyr!" Lulu called from behind me.

"Don't worry!" I called back without taking my eyes off Seymour. "I'm fine! Trust me."

"Cynyr, Auron, Tidus! Let me Summon!" Yuna suddenly shouted up at us, and we quickly complied, running back as she ran forward to summon the large, towering creature, Anima.

I was actually glad and relieved she had decided to Summon. I felt that if I continued I'd be too worn out to fight, and Lulu was holding me against doing that again.

As soon as Anima came up out of the ground, it immediately began with Oblivion, breaking its chains around its hands as it roared so loud that we all had to cover our ears.

Then, we watched in awe as fire erupted and exploded around Seymour, bright light engulfing him and Shadow as their screams echoed loudly all around us. Suddenly, it was over, and we realized it had killed them. At least, that's what it looked like.

As Yuna bid Anima good-bye, Seymour and Shadow's warped and transformed body exploded with light again.

Beams of it shot outward from it as they shrank and reformed, but this time, Seymour's body did not transform back into the warped being it had become.

Instead, he stood as himself, but with one less arm and eye, a large gaping hole in his face as he slowly fell to his knees in agony.

_Did he...actually part with Shadow? _

_Not in the way you're thinking, my dear. But you can congratulate yourselves. You have destroyed Shadow completely._

"Now! Yuna, send him!" Wakka quickly shouted.

"Right."

Yuna immediately ran forward with her staff at hand and began to perform the sending, stepping into the dance quickly. As she did so, Seymour suddenly spoke, but this time, it was his voice alone.

"So…it is you after all who will send me."

Yuna was quickly finishing up the dance, but still, the cockroach had to squeak out his last words.

"But even after I am gone…Spira's sorrow will prevail."

With those last words, his body became transparent, then a light shone through and Pyerflies lifted his spirit upward. As they rose up, Tidus snorted to himself and muttered, "Sin will be right behind you."

Now, looking back at the place Seymour once stood, we saw that all that was left was a rather large red eye that lay on the floor.

I sighed as I found this to be all that was left of Shadow from Anima's Oblivion attack and walked over to it. Yuna took a step back and all was quiet as I stood in front of it.

Looking down at it, the eye surprisingly blinked up at me. I saw fear there, but I smirked as I took my foot and squashed it.

_Crunch!_

Just like a cockroach.

"Ewww!"

Just about everyone exclaimed from behind me. I laughed and took my foot away before turning to everyone and smiling.

"Thanks guys."

"No, thank you." Yuna said quickly.

I shrugged.

"None of us could have done that on our own." Wakka spoke up. "We're a team, and teams stick together." He paused as he looked over at me and suddenly grinned. "You're part of da team, Cynyr." I smiled back and nodded.

"Lets go." Tidus said, and he began to lead the way again.

* * *

><p>Later, we soon found ourselves in something that looked like the entrance to a city, but there were no houses, no doors, windows, just giant metal building squares and rectangles that rose up on each side of us to make a long and dark corridor ahead. Cautiously, we walked through it, looking around in awe and silence.<p>

_What is this? Sin just keeps getting stranger and stranger. _

There were all sorts of nooks and tight places along the way, and some of them Tidus would venture into. At some point, he came out with a Defender Bracer in his hand.

That's when the others became interested in all the nooks and small places too. So, everyone began to scatter about, but close enough for anyone to hear if someone got into any trouble, to search for any lost items as well.

Trouble indeed.

If anyone could find it, it was Tidus. He was the definition of Trouble, he was the chief of Trouble, I bet if he ran a tribe they would be called Tribe Trouble.

I snickered to myself and shook my head as I was about to enter through a small passage way.

"Whoa!"

At the sudden sound of Tidus's voice, I spun around, but I didn't see him anywhere. I looked around at the others, but they were too far away to have heard him. I was the only one close enough to have heard.

Quickly becoming curious, I ventured out where I thought his voice had come from, but soon found another small passage way that led around a wall.

I began to walk in.

"Tidus?"

There was no answer. So, I ventured farther inside.

"Tiiiiiduuus?" I sang softly, getting ready for him to jump out and scare me or something.

_You little devil- when I find you I'm gonna- _

I stopped suddenly as I abruptly came to a hole in the ground that tunneled underneath a large metal wall in front of me. My eyes widened and my palms dampened as I realized I had almost stepped off into it without realizing it.

"Tidus!" I called down the tunnel. "Ti-"

"I'm down here!" His answer immediately came up from inside. I sighed as I straightened up and placed my hands on my hips.

"I figured!"

"Hey, it's not my fault, I slipped!" He exclaimed, and I took a cautious step forward as I looked deeper into the tunnel.

"Slipped?" I questioned with frown. "How could you have-" I stopped as my foot came in contact with the smooth silver metal that lined the tunnel, but it was then that I lost traction immediately and began to slip downward.

I gasped as I held my hands out in front of me as I felt myself beginning to fall forwards, but someone from behind grabbed me and pulled me back, their arm around my waist securely. I gasped again.

"Watch it!" They said as they pulled me to them, and I looked up in surprise to find Auron staring down at me.

"O-oh, Auron, I'm sorry…it's just-"

"It's fine." He interrupted. "I heard the two of you hollering at each other and came, and it's a good thing I did." He loosened his grip on me a little, but he didn't let go as he stared down into my eyes.

"Hollering?" I repeated with offense, causing Aruon to smile a little with amusement. "I wasn't hollering, he was. I was just standing here-" I stopped immediately when Auron suddenly began to chuckle and I glared up at him as I laid a hand on his arm.

"What are you laughing at?" I demanded.

"You." He replied, then suddenly leaned forward and pecked me on the forehead. My jaw fell open and when I felt Auron's arm slide away form me I quickly shut it and watched as he began to walk away like he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary.

Suddenly, Tidus popped up from beside me and I jumped, startled by his appearance.

"Hey!"

"W-whoa, W-what…when did you-" I sighed, giving up before slowly crossing my arms over my chest and glared at him. "_How_ did you get up here?" I demanded with a raised brow, and he grinned.

"There was a way up from the other side."

"There isn't always another way out of trouble, Tidus." Auron suddenly said from several feet away ahead of us. He was standing with his back to me and Tidus, at the entrance of the smaller corridor we were standing in.

"So, please try to be more careful." Auron added with a sigh, then quickly walked off.

I watched him as he did, remembering the little kiss he had given me on the forehead. I still felt it and smiled a little to myself.

Suddenly, Tidus was standing in front of me, his face really close to mine as he wore a goofy grin on his face. I immediately looked at him and frowned upon seeing his expression.

"By the way, I saw that little intimacy between you and Auron."

My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to speak as I uncrossed my arms, but Tidus quickly dodged me by quickly running off back down the passage way.

"That wasn't intimate!" I called after him, quickly running down the same corridor.

"Yes it was!" He called back.

"Tidus!" I snapped

"I just call it like I see it!"

I growled in my throat with irritation as we both neared the others who were waiting for us ahead. They looked curiously between the two us, but they didn't bother asking any questions.

Still a sulking a little, I walked right behind Tidus with my eyes fixed on the back of his head.

_What a twerp! _I thought, then finally stopped glaring at him and acted like I wasn't bothered by it for the rest of the way through.

Minutes later, the corridors stopped and we all came to an opening where we saw a hole in the middle of the ground. Some objects I didn't recognize floated about above us, then we looked to the center of the hole to find something glowing inside. It was bright orange and yellow, kind of reminding me of fire.

_Where are we now? _

Then, to our left, there was a landing that led to something that looked like a balcony, and as we all looked, we saw in the middle of stood Jecht. His back to us, his arms folded, but we slowly made our way over to him.

Upon arriving about ten feet away from Jecht, we stopped, but then Auron took a step forward just after Tidus, whose face I could only imagine at that moment.

"You're late, Auron." Jecht suddenly growled, his voice deep and gravely.

"I know." Auron finally replied, then Jecht slowly began to turn to finally face us. I realized, that this would be the first time he'd see his son in ten years.

"Hey." Was the first thing that came out of his mouth as he looked up at Tidus, emotion in his eyes that I couldn't quite pinpoint.

Tidus, however, barely gave him a hi back. I was unsure of his face expression, but he sounded like he was trying to play it cool. Jecht suddenly chuckled.

"You got tall, but you're all bones." There was pause as he looked down then back up at his son. "You eating right, boy?" He asked then, but Tidus didn't say anything.

He wasn't in a joking mood, and Jecht's light jokes wasn't making anything _lighter_ about the thick atmosphere that was clearly choking everybody.

Then, Jecht's eyes softened, his whole face softened as he immediately became a little more serious.

"You really have grown."

"Yeah…" Tidus replied with his head bowed, "but you're still bigger." Jecht snorted at this, finding that a little amusing.

"Well, I am Sin you know."

"That's not funny." Tidus remarked, barely making an effort to sound harsh, but it was obvious that he was trying too. His dad chuckled again, then he raised a hand to his neck, rubbing it as he seemed to look a little nervous.

"Well then…I mean, you know…" he stopped rubbing his neck, "lets end this." He began to crack his knuckles on each hand, seemingly ready, but I could see the hurt and sadness in his eyes.

"Dad?" Tidus suddenly said.

"Yeah?" Jecht got a bit of hope in his eyes.

"I hate you."

I winced and my heart squeezed when I heard him say this, but his father tried to laugh it off a bit. I had actually hoped Tidus was going to say something…more loving maybe, but I guessed there was too much hurt and anger in his heart for him to do so…

"I know, I know…" Jecht sighed a little, "you know what you have to do."

"Yeah." Tidus replied quietly as he looked back up at his dad.

"I can't hear the Hymn so well anymore. Pretty soon I'm going to be Sin, completely." He paused a moment and Tidus bowed his head again. "I'm glad you're here now." Jecht finally added, but still, Tidus kept his head bowed and said nothing.

"One thing though," Jecht began again, "once it starts I won't be myself anymore, I won't be able to hold myself back." He shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry-"

"That's…enough!" Tidus stammered angrily with a shake of his head.

"Lets finish this. Okay!" He shouted even louder, trying sound and look tough. Immediately, Jecht's face became serious again, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're right." Then, he uncrossed his arms, spun around without looking back, and walked towards the end of the balcony. We watched as he did so, then he suddenly turned around to face Tidus.

"Well then, lets go!"

Immediately the air around him changed, a blue aura swirled around him when he suddenly raised his fists in the air above his head and a bright light sparked to life on his forearm. Everyone took a step back in surprise, and got ready to withdraw their weapons.

He lifted his arms and the circle of light attached itself on his torso and the pressure and force behind it began to cause him to stumble backwards. That's when we realized he was about to go over the edge, over into the fire below.

Realizing this as well, Tidus immediately ran towards him, his hand outstretched as he called out to his dad in desperation.

Unfortunately, just as Jecht was falling backward into the sea of fire, Tidus stopped at the edge, his hand only coming an inch away from his father before Jecht fell away from him.

The light from his chest exploded into five orbs of light that immediately left his body and shot out across what we thought was just empty space. Instead, it lit up the buildings that had been hiding in the dark and we realized very quickly that we were Jecht's memory of Zanarkand.

Meanwhile, Tidus stood where he was in awe, breathing heavily as he looked where Jecht had fallen. His feet were braced far apart from one another in mid run, and he did not move from this stance as he seemed to have frozen in this position.

Suddenly, there was a loud zinging sound that came from above us and we all looked up, but this was a trap, because from below, another sound came and in a blink of an eye, a giant stone hand covered in fire grabbed hold of the edge of the balcony in front of Tidus.

Tidus barely made it out alive as he jumped back immediately and rubbed his arm, wincing, as he seemed to have gotten burned.

Then, we all watched as Jecht pulled up his second hand and his face appeared over the top, a large head we could just make out as his face as there seemed to be horns coming out from behind and on top of his head. His eyes glowed white, his beard also white.

Only the red bandana around his forehead and the Zanarkand Abe's emblem on his chest helped distinguish him now.

Finally, risen up to his full height in front of the balcony before us like a rock giant, Tidus, Auron, and Yuna immediately ran forward first.

"I promise this will be quick!" Tidus exclaimed as he pointed at his transformed father with his large sword.

"Hit me with all you got, dad!"

Immediately, the battle began, and Tidus struck first, followed by Auron. Little damage was done, and it was already Jecht's turn.

Suddenly, from behind him, we all noticed the "J" behind Jecht burn with fire like someone had just poured gasoline all over it and threw a match.

Now, Jecht's emblem was glowing, brighter and brighter it became, and he grunted as if in pain. Suddenly, something thrust out of his chest and he grabbed hold of it before quickly pulling it out.

I stood with eyes wide as I watched this, a sword slipping right out of his chest like it had been embedded there the whole time. It was just as big as he was, and we knew we were in trouble now, because we were sure that sword would do a lot of damage.

Fortunately, he didn't strike the three right away, so the others had time to do some damage first. Yuna came up next and summoned Anima.

Fortunately, and a little surprisingly, Anima was able to weaken Jecht by a lot.

_Come on Tidus…make it quick like you promised. _I thought to myself.

Then, I watched as Tidus went into overdrive with his Blitz Ace. Lulu threw the ball as soon as he got done striking him, and the ball hit Jecht hard. He was weakened even more now, and he hadn't even attacked them yet.

_Amazing. How can he become so weak so fast? _

Now Auron laid a hit on him, weakening him more and I figured that this battle really would end fast. Perhaps we had all grown strong over the Pilgrimage, strong enough to actually beat Jecht, this enormous giant of rock and fire, but there was still Yu Yevon to defeat.

Suddenly, Jecht raised his enormous sword, deciding it was his turn to attack now. I held a hand over my mouth as I watched in horror, my eyes wide as I could already see how much force was behind the sword.

"Oh, no!" Lulu exclaimed from beside me, and I suddenly found myself running, Enerugi rushing through my veins.

"No!" I called out as I skidded to a stop and held my hands out in front of me and let my energy burst from my hands and it shot out like lightening before stopping just in front of Auron, Tidus, and Yuna. The shield formed around them immediately, just as Jecht's sword struck it and I felt the force of the blow, taking the pain behind it.

When the blow subsided and Jecht had pulled away, I immediately let the shield drop and watched as the others began fighting again. I felt weak suddenly, and my arms and hands were burning, my markings glowing a bright white. That's when I knew I had made a mistake.

I had used too much energy in one blow. I was close to overheating, and I could feel it.

Then, I felt myself fall, but it felt like I was going in slow motion and all around me sound blended together, becoming something I couldn't understand.

Suddenly, something wrapped around me and I felt myself being pulled away. Now, I closed my eyes, my vision coming in and out of focus so much that I began to feel dizzy and faint.

_Cynyr! _My mother shouted inside my head, over and over...but even her voice sounded distant.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Another Cliffhanger! Oh yeah! Do the Poll if you haven't done so, and review even if you've already done one twenty chapters ago or for the last chapter. <strong>


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: I do not own FFX. I own only my characters and ideas.**

**Reviews are needed very much for this chapter after you read. Thank you.**

**Also, I want to remind everybody that reading these bold lettered sentences are important as well as my profile, because I update it every so often. So far it's been a lot lately. **

**Now. Enjoy. :) **

* * *

><p><strong>In My Arms<strong>

I felt something cool go down my throat, cooling down my insides and almost immediately I began to feel the life in me spark back.

"Cynyr…Cynyr!" I heard someone say over and over, their voice becoming more distinct now. I opened my eyes and I saw Yuna's face focusing before me. I blinked several times, then abruptly felt my energy return to me.

_Wow. _

"Yuna." I spoke, then saw Lulu some into sight from the other side of me.

"Are you alright!" Rikku asked from beside Yuna as she too appeared. I saw fear in her eyes and nodded quickly to assure everyone.

"Man, you gotta be careful." I heard Wakka say somewhere near by, and I was about to stand when Lulu suddenly stopped me, her hand clenched around my arm tightly.

"Don't ever do something like that again!"

"I-I'm sorry." I stammered, blinking in bewilderment when I saw her face expression, her eyes ablaze with worry and a little bit of anger. She was _really _worried about me. The woman in black who barely acknowledged me in half a day…was really showing how much she cared.

"Can you stand?" Yuna asked urgently, and I nodded before doing so.

"I promise not to do that again." I quickly added as I looked at Lulu. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'll hold you to that. Now look…" She trailed off as she turned to the battle at hand with Jecht. Everyone else looked as well, and I turned my eyes also, then saw Tidus.

"He's about to finish him." Lulu said softly.

"I won't lose!" Tidus shouted up at his father, then he suddenly ran up to him and gave the final blow.

_Thud! _

The sound of Jecht's sword sinking into the ground before him echoed in our ears as Jecht hunched over, clearly defeated.

With wide eyes, we watched as he suddenly fell over on his face, something bright shooting up out of his body. We guessed it was his soul, then there was an explosion as his transformed body disappeared and shot up towards the dark sky above.

Now, we stared at his large sword that still stood sunken in the ground as well as the person that stood weak in front of it.

Jecht, back in his human form, stumbled, then began to fall forward. Auron went to run forward, but stopped as Tidus quickly ran past him and grabbed hold of his father as he fell to his knees in front of him, slowly wrapping his hands around him to hug him.

Then, he slowly laid him down, his father's upper body on his lap as Jecht suddenly looked up at his son and spoke with a weak voice.

"You're gonna cry, you always cry- see, you're crying." He chuckled a little, but Tidus shook his head and with a bit of a sob, he said, "I hate you, dad." just like before.

Then, he slowly laid his father down and got up on his feet.

"Save it for later." Jecht replied as he looked up at him, then slowly began to sit up.

"Right, we've got a job to do, don't we?" I barely heard Tidus murmur this.

"Good, that's right." Jecht began with a small smile. "You are my son, after all."

"You know…" Tidus began after a long pause, "for the first time I'm glad…to have you as my father." He spoke the last words slowly, emotion in his voice.

Suddenly, Yuna walked towards them. "Sir Jecht, I should-"

"No, Yuna, there's no time!" Jecht abruptly exclaimed as he managed to stand up, then something suddenly swirled past us from behind, and we all looked to the sky to find the light that had escaped Jecht's body from earlier. It was obviously something else.

"No! You stay away!" Tidus shouted loudly with a wave of his hand.

_What was that anyway? Yu Yevon? _

"Yuna." Jecht called out. "You know what to do. The Aeons!"

"We, Aeons!" We all turned in surprise to the sound of a child's voice, but it wasn't a child. It was actually a Fayth, a Fayth in purple robes, his face hidden behind the hood he wore low over his head.

"Call them!" Jecht cried out.

"Call us!" The Fayth repeated with a hand to his chest, Yu Yevon, still continuing to circle us but he was coming closer now.

Suddenly, Jecht fell forwards, his spirit pouring out of him as the Pyerflies took over and began to take his body upwards.

We watched as he slowly disappeared, then the black and red swirl of energy called Yu Yevon circled us one last time before rising high into the sky, then came zooming back down.

"Here he comes!" Lulu called out, and we watched in amazement as Yu Yeven smashed into the hilt of Jecht's large sword, bursting into a bright white light as beams shot out in all directions.

It continued to grow bigger and brighter until it suddenly changed into a dark red color, then suddenly, everything went white, blinding everyone.

Followed by it was the sounds of the male Fayth singing, but it sound right. It sounded warped and it echoed like we were all in a dream. A really bad dream.

Suddenly, we were flying through the air, and the bright light disappeared, replaced by something that reminded me of a kaleidoscope, swirling and turning before our eyes. Then, we were falling, falling right through the patterns of the kaleidoscope.

We passed through it and immediately fell onto a hard surface. It was cold and smooth, like metal, and as we lay there the Fayth's singing continued, echoing and fading in and out.

I was slowly coming out of my dream like state, and when I opened my eyes everything was spinning and from what I could tell, we were surrounded by orange clouds. The others lay scattered as well on the ground, whatever ground it was we lay on.

Suddenly, I heard Tidus shout Yuna's name, and I realized they were the only ones who had stood up. Then I heard Yuna reply to Tidus with a yes. Almost immediately I began to hear her summoning the first Aeon and I began to quickly try to shake the fuzziness out of my brain.

As I stood, the others were slowly standing as well and it was then that I recognized what was beneath our feet.

We were standing on Jecht's giant sword, and nothing was holding it up. It just sat still in one place, surrounded by orange clouds, above and below.

We watched as Yuna summoned her first Aeon, Valfor, then Yuna, Tidus, and Auron ran forward to begin attacking the Aeon as Yu Yevon entered its body.

_They actually have to destroy the Aeon's? _

_Yes, Cynyr. It's the only way to stop the dreaming and to rid Spira of Yu Yevon forever. _

I didn't reply, but just watched as they attacked and attacked Valfor until he was finally killed.

_I have to admit…she was my favorite._

Yu Yevon exited the Aeon's dispersing body as the Pyerflies took over, then re-entered the next as Yojimbo came up to the front.

On and on it went, Aeon after Aeon we destroyed, and every time Yu Yevon entered and then excited after each summoning. However, again and again, after each Aeon was killed off, Yuna looked sadder and sadder.

She looked as though she were killing off her best friends. In way, these Aeon's were her friends, and now, to have to destroy them was tearing her apart inside.

Finally, as the last Aeon died and disappeared with the Pyerflies, we all took a moment to stand in silence as each thought, but that moment didn't last long.

Out of the sky came Yu Yevon again, and we all came together to make a circle as we faced him. He suddenly stopped in mid air above us and grew short wriggling legs on each side of his body. I immediately wrinkled up my nose as this suddenly reminded me of something.

_ Ew! He looks like a tick! Oh gross, I hate ticks! Yuck! _

On the back of him glowed the symbol of Yu Yevon, then, after several seconds of just hovering there in front of us, he suddenly vanished into thin air. Now, there was silence as everyone each began to cautiously look around them, wondering if Yu Yevon was planning a surprise attack.

Suddenly, Tidus spoke up.

"Everyone!" Immediately, we all gave him our attention, and saw he had a serious expression on his face again.

_ Oh boy…what's up? _

"This is the last time we fight together. Okay?"

My eyes widened as well as many others and Wakka's mouth fell open, except for Auron, so I suspected he already knew about this.

"What?" Wakka first said. Tidus sighed as he walked up to him and the rest of us gathered close to listen.

"What I'm trying to say is…after we beat Yu Yevon, I'll…disappear."

"What are you talking about!" Lulu demanded.

"Yes, what do you mean?" I asked next, but Tidus was now looking at Yuna, and she looked back at him.

They seemed to be communicating through this eye to eye thing, but the rest of us didn't understand. Yuna looked as though she wanted to say something to him, but she seemed to stop herself, and sadness lingered in her bi-colored eyes.

Suddenly, Tidus walked past her and the rest of us while withdrawing his sword, then stopped several feet away from us.

"I'm saying good-bye."

"Not now!" Rikku exclaimed desperately, but Tidus ignored her.

"I know it's selfish, but this is _my _story!"

Almost immediately, Yu Yevon finally reappeared before us, as if waiting for his cue after Tidus's little speech to finally come out of hiding. No one had time to reply to Tidus as he soon ran up to the front.

Everyone simply withdrew their weapons, having no other choice and both Kimahri and Yuna ran up first next to Tidus.

Yu Yevon was, of course, the same state he was in just a few moments ago. A giant tick. I would have much pleasure in striking him when it came to my turn, because I absolutely despised ticks, but I had to admit it had resemblance.

Ticks were blood suckers. Yu Yevon was definitely a blood sucker, but he sucked more than just blood.

Regardless of his form, I saw on each side of him two turning large columns of stone. They turned and twisted theirselves over and over at random as the fight between us and Yu Yevon continued. Unfortunately, Yu Yevon was able to heal himself whenever he decided, and I began to think this might actually take a while.

Tidus and Kimahri gave Yu Yevon some quick hits, then Yuna switched out with me. I smirked up at Yu Yevon and didn't bother to get out my sword. Instead, I formed a ball of energy in my hand and threw it up at him, weakening him immensely.

For a long time, all three of us, Kimahri, Tidus, and me, were able to fight back against Yu Yevon again and again, weakening him more and more. Just when we thought we'd finally win, he suddenly healed himself and we groaned with frustration.

Soon, Auron had come up to the battle lines as well as Lulu. So now, it was an unsent, a mage, and a woman possessing Fayth powers against Yu Yevon, but the fight continued on and on.

_This is ridiculous! How can we win if he just keeps healing himself! Ugh, it's not fair! _

Then, I began to wonder if I could use my overdrive on him. If I used enough power on him, wouldn't that weaken him to the point of being unable to heal himself?

With hope, I built up my energy inside me, immediately feeling the rush as the Enerugi surged through my veins towards my hands. I shut my eyes momentarily as I concentrated and listened for Auron to get done attacking Yu Yevon.

As soon as he had, I called out to both Auron and Lulu to move back. I assumed they had done so and immediately opened my eyes as I felt my fingertips tingle from the electricity.

Finally, I jumped up high into the air and, like I was throwing a ball, I threw my hands down towards the ground and lightening immediately shot out of my fingers. It immediately ran through the ground, only to suddenly reappear above Yu Yevon.

Yu Yevon didn't even have a chance. As I landed back down I watched as the electricity snapped and cracked loudly while they struck Yu Yevon over and over again.

When the lightening storm finally subsided, Lulu and Auron came running back up beside me. Together, we waited for Yu Yevon to react, slightly hoping that that lightening attack would have killed him.

Suddenly, Yu Yevon healed himself.

"What!" I shouted in disbelief.

"He should have been too weakened to heal himself." Lulu exclaimed.

"Huh. It appears his immortality is stronger than we thought." Auron replied as he adjusted his sword that he had rested upon his shoulder. "This means one blow to the death. No more beating it around."

Immediately after saying this he ran forward and struck Yu Yevon first, and the battle continued. Slowly, I began to figure something out as we all attacked him, one by one.

If we were to strike him to near death, it would only build him back up, but if we calculated carefully, we could have him dead in three blows just before he decided to heal himself again, but we'd have to plan carefully to that point.

"Lulu!"

"Yuna!"

"Wakka!"

We continued to switch out so we could all test our attacks on Yu Yevon, and it was about twenty-five minutes later when we finally had him where we wanted. Now, we just needed one person to attack him and it would kill him for sure.

"Out of the way!" Tidus suddenly shouted from behind Auron and I. We spun around to find him running towards Yu Yevon, his brows furrowed as he gripped his sword tightly in his right hand.

In seconds he had run past us, and so fast that it had even caused a breeze to whip some of my hair around my face back and Auron's jacket to flap a little. Quickly, we turned to watch him, and we saw him just in time as he jumped high into the air above Yu Yevon.

His had his sword in both his hands now, the tip pointing down as his legs remained bent close to his body.

"Hah!" He grunted as he sliced through Yu Yevon's arachnid body, his sword running through him so fast it whistled in the air as he swung it back behind him as he landed on his feet without stumbling.

"Quick! Get back!" Auron shouted, and Tidus quickly did so, standing between us as the others slowly gathered behind us to watch.

Yu Yevon suddenly lowered from where he hovered in the sky, red large dots forming around him before spinning faster and faster until suddenly, an orange ball formed around him and he rose higher and higher up into the sky.

All of us watched in amazement, gasping at the sight. Suddenly he stopped, the orange orb disappeared and something white came floating out of his body. It looked like a Pyerfly, but we all knew it was his spirit that was finally going up to the Farplane.

_Bang! Bang! Bang! _A few of us cried out as we immediately looked over at the large column rocks beside us that were suddenly slamming into formation, making the shape they were originally, and stopped spinning immediately.

Then, the rocks rose up to float on either side of Yu Yevon's body and a source of energy suddenly began to tug at each other between the rocks, like they had suddenly become magnetized and they were being pulled towards each other.

_BAM!_ they slammed together, squashing the body of Yu Yevon and created a bright light that circled around them and grew brighter. Then, it began to pulse and I high pitched zinging sound erupted from it, getting louder and louder.

Everyone immediately had to cover their ears and then shut their eyes as the light became too bright from the destruction of Yu Yevon.

I stood hunched over, still covering my ears and tightly closing my eyes when suddenly, I felt a strong wind come at us from the west, then it began swirling around us. In seconds, our feet left the ground, but we felt like we were only floating as the wind continued to blow harder.

Finally, the light collapsed, the sound stopped, and the wind died down as we suddenly felt solid ground beneath our feet. Looking around we found ourselves back in the Zanarkand where we had fought Jecht, and the columns of rocks nor Yu Yevon were no where to be found.

Yun took a few steps forward, her staff in her hands as she slowly began to dance the sending for Yu Yevon.

_Cynyr…it's time. _My mother suddenly whispered to me and I blinked in surprise, but then looked down sadly as I realized she was right.

_Yes. It is time. _I thought sadly. We had defeated Shadow, we defeated Sin and Yu Yevon...

_ Your missions here have been completed…all but one. _

I managed to smile a small smile at this thought, but it quickly disappeared as I heard a gasp from Yuna and she immediately stopped dancing.

I shut my eyes and bowed my head as I listened to everyone else gasp as well, then turn. I bit my lip hard as I readied myself, my stomach churning, my heart pounding hard in my chest, but it felt heavy with melancholy.

"Don't stop." I heard Auron say from behind me, and I could already hear the Pyerflies coming off his body, singing softly in the night air.

"But I-" Yuna began, but stopped as she seemed to have lost the words he wanted to say.

"It's alright." Auron said softly, then slowly, he began to walk past us all, and I opened my eyes, watching the ground as I heard him pass me, but then he stopped. I held my breath.

I suddenly felt his hand on my shoulder, but instead of looking up at him...I turned my head away.

_Do you still want to go through with this? _My mother asked, and I squeezed my eyes tightly closed as Auron finally removed his hand and moved on.

_He is about to leave…how sad is it…that he lived such a short life…_

"It's been long enough." I heard Auron say, and almost thought he had answered my thoughts. I wasn't sure who he was speaking to though. I wasn't looking anyway.

_Then…are you ready? _Ida questioned.

_Yes. _

Tears pricked my eyes as I let my mind go back to that time in the Calm Lands with my mother, how we met up and spoke of the moment that had finally come. A moment that had come too fast.

_"My dear," She began, "you cannot bring the dead back to life. He yearns for the Farplane whether he wants to go or not. He is no longer living" She explained and my brows suddenly furrowed._

_"No." I said defiantly and she cocked a brow. "There's always something...something, anything Ida. Think! I'll do anything! It isn't fair...he didn't get a chance..." I whispered the last words as I looked down at my feet, tears welling up in my eyes again. For a long time, there was silence between us._

_"Well." Ida suddenly began, and I looked up at her immediately. "Now, that I think about it…" She trailed off before slowly looking up at me, "there is a way." I nodded, my ears perked at attention._

_"But...you will lose something if you agree." Ida began to explain._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"And..." Ida said slowly as she ignored my question, causing my heart to beat faster inside my chest. I could only guess what it might be._

"_And?"_

"_I fear it will be all for nothing." She finished, and I blinked in surprise. _

_ "What do you mean, mother?" I asked softly. "Please, tell me! Let me decide whether or not I should take the chance." Ida sighed softly to herself again and I waited impatiently, staring up into her eyes._

_ "You realize you have two missions here in Spira."_

_ "Yes…" I replied slowly._

_ "Shadow…and Sin." Ida continued. "Once you've completed them…you will have no reason to exist. Because you are not completely human…you cannot live like one here on Earth."_

_ "I see…" I said slowly, "but I accept that…so long…as I find a way to help Auron." Ida nodded._

_ "On the day you defeat Sin…Auron will have no reason to stay here as well."_

_ "I understand." _

_ "He will want to leave…on that day, but you will make a trade."_

_ "A trade?" I gave my mother a questioning look and she smiled a soft and sad smile._

_ "You will sacrifice…your life. And you will return to us…as a Spirit in the Farplane." I was only slightly surprised at this, because I had had a feeling that would be the price. One life for another. One heart for another. _

_"I will. And it will not be all for nothing. I will do it out of love."_

I could remember how my mother then began telling me that it was just too pricey for me, I could leave Spira the way it was planned. I would return to my family, the Fayth, and become a Fayth just like them after the defeat of Sin.

However, that was not the case.

Letting the memory fade, I finally opened my eyes and looked up. Auron was now standing in front of Yuna, raising his sword up to rest on his shoulder as he got ready to be sent. I clenched my fists, took a deep breath, then finally, I spoke.

"Wait!" I called after him, tying to keep my voice steady. Everyone immediately turned to me in slight surprise, but I kept my eyes on Auron as he slowly turned his head a little to acknowledge me.

"Cynyr…" he began slowly, "you knew this was to happen."

"Yes…but I…" I caught my breath, then clenched up a fist at my side as a memory came to me, "I cannot accept it!"

Auron had said those same words ten years ago to Braska as he was about to go and meet Yunalesca for the Final Summoning. Just as soon as I had said it, I believed Auron remembered that too. Even the others.

With my heart pounding in my chest and my fist still clenched, I waited for Auron to respond. Everyone else seemed to do the same as they slowly turned back to the warrior in crimson.

Finally, he turned to face me, slowly, and immediately locked eyes with me. I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry and I licked at my lips nervously.

_Tell him! Tell him! _I thought urgently.

Before anyone, even Auron, could say anything, I finally ran towards him but stopped just in front of him as I kept my fists tightly clenched beside me and looked Auron in the eye.

No longer was I afraid of that one brown eye, that one eye that used to glare at me, watch me so long ago for any slip ups I made in the beginning of the Pilgrimage.

_I used to be so afraid of you. Although, in the beginning, I wouldn't admit that…not even to myself. _

"You will not go." I said with a matter of fact, and his shoulders seemed to slump a little as he looked at me sadly. He was about to open his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it.

"No…I made a deal…a deal with-with Ida a long time ago...and she has agreed." Now Auron gave me his full attention, his brows furrowing in confusion as I continued to explain. Everyone else seemed to be just as confused and curious as well.

"Auron…" I began slowly, swallowing again before finally taking a breath and saying it.

"I love you."

Now, his eye had widened, and everyone seemed to breath out a little in relief. I could already imagine what Tidus's face looked like, but now everyone suddenly became deathly silent as they looked at Auron expectantly.

"Cynyr…"

"Yes?" I said softly, looking up at him with hope.

"I love you too."

Relief washed over me and I closed my eyes momentarily as I took a breath. Then, I re-opened my eyes but he suddenly spoke again.

"But…I still have to leave." Immediately, I shook my head as my determination returned to me.

"No, no you don't!" I glared up at him again and he sighed, about to say something again when _I_ sighed, loudly, with exasperation.

"Oh, Auron!"

With that, I quickly pulled his collar down, stood on my tip toes and pressed my lips against his. He was surprised by this sudden action from me, but it didn't stop him from returning the kiss.

With his warm lips locked with mine, I felt like I was floating in a sea of butterflies as I felt his arms suddenly wrap around me. The sound of his sword hitting the ground echoing around us was soon followed by an "awww" from Tidus, Wakka, and Rikku.

I, too, lifted my arms up to him, wrapping them around his neck as I let the feeling of his lips on mine last for as long as I could.

However, the magic had to end, and it felt as though we had only just begun when we finally drew apart.

"Well, it's about time!" Tidus said with crossed arms and I glanced over at him once, smiling, before turning back to Auron.

"Auron…" I began as he held onto my arms and I held onto his, "there _is_ a way...for you to live." Auron blinked at me in disbelief.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you serious?" Tidus asked, and I nodded slowly as I averted my eyes from Auron momentarily.

"I...I have decided to make a trade." I whispered, looking back up at Auron as I soon found his eye wide with bewliderment, and I suddenly felt his hand touch my wing.

"It will take...much more than that." I swallowed hard as I held back the tears. "I will sacrifice my life..." Gasps were made and it was soon followed with protests. I opened my mouth to speak, but Auron suddenly grabbed my chin as he looked into my eyes.

"No." He demanded, sorrow in his voice as he spoke.

"I want you to live the life you lost so long ago.

"I won't let you."

"It's already been done." I replied softly, my eyes brimming with tears again as I saw the deep sadness in his one brown eye.

"Cynyr, no!"

"Not you too!"

"Please don't go!"

The others called out to me in desperation, but I only looked at Auron as he only looked at me.

"Why?" He asked as he grabbed my arms and pulled me nearer, his voice no longer coming out as strong as it had before.

"B-because...I love you." I stammered as a tear escaped my eye, but I didn't even bother to wipe it away. Instead, I let them _all_ fall as Auron looked deep into my eyes and saw the truth and love there. Then, I saw that he had tears in his eye, but he did not let them go.

"Oh, Cynyr." He whispered, then suddenly pulled me into a hug and I immediately felt my heart break, crumbling, as I let the tears flow down my cheeks like rain.

I quickly shut my eyes as I thought back to all those days we had ever spent time together. Fighting along side each other, arguing, helping one another, laughing, and now…crying.

Suddenly, I felt that one tear escape his eye and lightly hit my shoulder.

_It's time to go. _Ida whispered, and almost immediately, a bright light enveloped around the two of us and the others gasped in surprise, but Auron didn't even move. He continued to hold me in his arms and even held me a little tighter.

"I know this is the last time we'll be together." I whispered into his ear as I felt my feet leave the ground, and slowly, I opened my wings as I opened my eyes.

I watched as the white light beamed around us, flashing and sparkling like water as it circled us. We rose higher and higher, until finally, we hovered in one place and Auron slowly pulled away from me, but only far enough to look into my eyes.

Suddenly, he leaned forward and captured my lips with his, kissing me one more time.

Seconds passed and I suddenly felt lighter, then began to hear Pyerflies singing around us. I felt Auron's arms squeeze around me tighter, but soon he would be holding nothing.

"Clouds will rage in…storms will race in…but you will _always _be safe…in my arms...and in my heart." He suddenly whispered into my ear.

I closed my eyes as I remembered the song, and sang it right back to him before I finally felt myself disperse, unable to feel anything…not even when Auron's hand slowly left mine as he was taken back down and I was slowly rising higher into the sky like a lone Pyerfly.

_Good-bye...Auron._

* * *

><p>Epilogue<p>

_Warning: Change of Person Point of View: Third person Dual_

The sound of cheering and whistling filled the enormous stadium, joy written on every face as Yuna stood upon the highest balcony looking out over the crowd of people. Everyone had come from all over Spira just to hear her speak.

Taking a breath, she quickly pushed the thought of _him_ from her mind, the image of him jumping off the ship fading fast as she began to speak.

"Everyone-everyone has lost something precious." Silence slowly dispersed among the people as they began to listen.

Auron stood up slowly from where he sat, on the top of the stadium's roof, far above everyone else. Far from all the attention as he, too, listened to Yuna's speech.

"Everyone here has lost homes, dreams...and friends." Yuna paused a moment. "Everybody...now…Sin is finally dead." Immediately, applause broke out and Yuna waited before continuing.

"Now…Spira is ours again." The clapping grew even louder, and Yuna looked around at all the hundreds of people with a small smile on her face.

"Working together, now, we can make new homes for ourselves, and new dreams." Auron heard Yuna say next, and he looked behind her at all the other guardians who stood proudly and quietly. Kimahri, Wakka, Lulu, and Rikku.

His face no longer covered by his collar or glasses, he stood tall and strong like a tree with his red coat billowing behind him in the wind that suddenly picked up. His two brown eyes then looked up to the skies as he felt the warm sun on his now younger skin.

When she had left him, had disappeared into the night, he was transformed. Inside and out. For not only had his appearance changed, but his heart as well. Now, ever since that last moment with her in his arms, he hadn't been able to take his mind of her.

"Although, I know...the journey will be hard, we will have lots of time." Yuna began slowly from below on the balcony, the applauding continuing but softening so the people could hear her speak.

Auron watched her with the smallest of smiles on his own face, then suddenly, he remembered something-something important in his coat pocket. His heart leaped in his chest, hope welled up inside him as he quickly began searching his pockets.

"Together, we will rebuild Spira!" The applause grew louder and Yuna's heart beat fast inside her chest as she thought of all the new things that Spira would be able to do, everything they couldn't have done before when Sin was still alive.

Auron's hand finally came down to the last pocket in his jacket as he ignored the noise around him, then suddenly...he stopped. The wind picked up and his heart beat a little faster. Then, a small smile crossed his face again as he slowly began to pull it out.

"The road is ahead of us, so lets start out today!" Yuna exclaimed, then turned to look behind her at her four Guardians. They all smiled at her, nodding their approval.

Auron carefully held the precious memory in his hand as he waited for the wind to die down, his hand closed around it just firm enough to keep it safe, but gentle enough to keep it from being destroyed.

"Just...one more thing." Yuna began again, and the crowd slowly quieted. "The people and the friends that we have lost. Or the dreams that fade…" She whispered these last words with a smile as all the memories of those days being with _him_ came rushing back to her.

Auron also smiled as he, too, thought of all the memories of those days being with _her. _They all came rushing back to him in a flash as Yuna finally spoke the last words, and Auron finally opened his hand and held that one brilliant white feather between his thumb and forefinger.

"Never forget them."

The End

* * *

><p><strong>WAIT! There's a sequel! :D So don't start throwing a temper tantrum or boo whooing now! :P Yes, there is going to be a sequel to this obviously because I figured you guys would ask. :) <strong>

**OH! Since it's the end I expect a review from you. Yes, all of you. Even if you don't have an account, it is still possible for you to review. (As far as I know, cause I've done it before).**

**Gosh, you have no idea how much I've looked over this chapter to make sure everything was perfect! Plus, I was so nervous about posting it because I know...this is it. This is the end of the story! GAH! I don't want it to end, even though I know I'm going to write a sequel! Ah, I'm so weird. :P**

**Take the Poll and look/post on the Forum, "In My Arms" Discussion. That's the name of it. PLEASE! I love you all and I really do appreciate you all for reading my story! I love you reviews and you're just all amazing. You've helped me become more confident in my writing and I hope you'll all come back for the Sequel. **


End file.
